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THE 


N 

CURSE OF MARRIAGE 

A TRUE STORY OF DOMESTIC LIFE 


BY 


WALTER HUBBELL 

AUTHOR OF 


'‘the great AMHERST MYSTERY,” “ HISTORY OF THE HUBBELL FAMILY,'' 
“MARCUS BRUTUS AND OTHER VERSES," ETC., ETC. 



NEW YORK 


THE AMERICAN NEWS COMPANY 

WHOLESALE AGENTS 

r 

' 1888. 


O 


I 



Copyright, 1888 

By WALTER HUBBELL. 

i\LL RIGHTS RESERVED 




t 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER 


PAGE 

I. 

The Old Homestead, 

. 7 

11 . 

The Picnic, 

i8 

III. 

The Storm, .... 

. 32 

IV. 

Julius C^sar Washington, 

. . 46 

V. 

Lion Lost, .... 

. . . 64 

’ VI. 

Lion Found, .... 

77 

VII: 

Three Angels, . * . 

. . . 89 

VIII. 

A Discovery 

99 

IX. 

The Owner of the Knife, 

. 115 

X. 

The Arrest, .... 

124 

XL 

The Trial, . . 

. 131 

XII. 

The Escape, . . ■* . 

. . 140 

XIII. 

A Christmas Tree, 

. 152 

XIV. 

An Unknown Visitor, 

. 163 

XV. 

The Crimson Arm, . 

• 173 

XVI. 

Afterward, .... 

. 183 

XVII. 

That Night, .... 

. 194 

XVIII. 

Conclusion, ... 

. . 211 


List of Illustrations. 


Frontispiece, . - - - The Author. ^ 

(From a recent Photograph. ) 

The Old Homestead, - - Facing page 7. 

(From a Photograph.) 

Lion, the Newfoundland Doo, Facing page 98. 
(From his Statue in Bronze. ) 


PUBLISHER’S PREFACE. 


This original and true story of domes- 
tic life from the pen of Walter Hubbell, 
— author of “ The Great Amherst Mys- 
tery ” that has had such phenomenal suc- 
cess in England and America, — not only 
possesses the power to please, but to 
also hold the undivided attention of the 
reader to the end. Its whole tone is 
moral in the true sense, and notwith- 
standing its startling title the story does 
not advocate anything that could in the 
slightest degree effect the highest ethical 
culture of the most refined civilization. 
“ The Curse of Marriage ” was read in 


V 


VI 


PREFACE. 


its manuscript form by several compe- 
tent critics, who pronounced it the most 
powerful story of domestic life of the 
present day. 



V 





\ 


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1 

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H 




OLD HOMESTEAD. 




THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


CHAPTER I. 

THE OLD HOMESTEAD. 

There was living on a small farm near 
Boston, in the year i860, a family bearing 
the very common surname of Smith, 
consisting of Samuel, his wife Hannah, 
and their two children, John and Ida, 
aged respectively seven and five years. 
The town of Lynn was within half an 
hour’s ride of the farm, and from Lynn 
to Boston was but a short journey. 
Samuel Smith, or rather Sam Smith, as 
he was always called, was a butcher by 
trade, but also sold vegetables raised on 
his farm, at his stall in the old Boylston 
Market, where his choice mutton always 
commanded a ready sale. He killed 
7 


8 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAG^:. 


sheep to the entire exclusion of steers 
and cows, simply because he found from 
experience that it was more remunera- 
tive to have a specialty in his necessary 
business. 

I am fully aware that the sanguinary 
trade of a butcher is the most abhorrent 
of all trades to persons of weak and 
supersensitive organization, but I must 
use such facts as are in my possession 
in the furtherance of my object in this 
story, without in the least intending to 
cater to a morbid taste for the horrible, 
and d shall endeavor to use technical 
terms as little as possible, so that my 
narrative may appeal more directly to 
the people, those masses of struggling 
men and women who are so much occu- 
pied in “ keeping the wolf from the 
door” that they have little or no time to 
read other than the shortest and most 
comprehensive stories, no matter how 
much more satisfaction they would de- 
rive from those longer and more scien- 


THE OLD HOMESTEAD. 


9 


tific works in existence, whose exorbitant 
price places them beyond the reach of all 
persons save the favored few on whom 
fortune has seen fit to smile. 

It may interest some persons to know 
that Sam Smith was at the time this 
story commenced, thirty years old, 
and was six feet in height, and of stout 
build. He had light hair, blue eyes and 
a florid complexion, and like the major- 
ity of butchers had a remarkably healthy 
appearance, believed by many persons 
to be due to the business they follow, 
though exactly how has never been ex- 
plained. In some respects he was con- 
sidered a worthy man and good neigh- 
bor, because he paid his bills promptly, 
and was kind to the unfortunate and 
those dependent on him for support, 
except when intoxicated, which was gen- 
erally the case Saturday night and all 
day Sunday. ^ Hannah, his wife, was also 
tall, but not so stout as her husband ; 
her hair and eyes were dark brown. 


10 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


which added greatly to the fine appear- 
ance of her rather intellectual face. 
She was a woman of some culture, a 
great novel reader, taking especial de- 
light in tales of Indian life and advent- 
ure, and had a remarkably sensitive, 
nervous organization, the slightest unex- 
pected sound causing her to start and ask 
what had caused it. The children were 
both apparently healthy, John resem- 
bling their mother and Ida their father, 
a singular sexual peculiarity often very 
noticeable in families. 

As to the religious convictions of the 
Smiths, nothing was known except that 
Mrs. Smith went occasionally to the 
Presbyterian Church, on which visits she 
was often accompanied by her children 
and sometimes by the wife of a neighbor 
named Pratt. And as Sam Smith was 
generally drunk and in a state of stupor 
on Sunday, it may be readily imagined 
that his company was to be avoided. 

It was remarkable that this drunken 


THE OLD HOMESTEAD. 


1 1 

butcher was fond of reading poetry, and 
even was so gifted with the faculty of 
rhyming and using idealistic similes that 
he sometimes' even went so far as to 
write verses, which he found pleasure in 
reading to his wife and more intimate 
friends, deriving great satisfaction from 
the expression of their opinions, though 
whether said opinions were really gen- 
uine or otherwise, he lacked the mental 
acumen to perceive. A common failing 
with many who write verses and consider 
themselves poets. 

The old homestead in which this 
family rq^ided had been in the Smith 
family *for several generations; the house 
being a substantial two story frame 
structure, covered on the outside with 
unpainted shingles, instead of the more 
modern weather boards, and contained 
six rooms ; also a low shed at the back 
which was covered by a portion of the 
same roof as the house proper. In fact 
this old house was a fair specimen of the 


12 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


houses of the early colonial settlers of 
New England. The old crane, trammels 
and hooks were still in the fireplace of 
the kitchen. The same high-backed 
chairs were in the parlor; on the walls 
were some of the same pictures that were 
Sam Smith’s father’s and grandfathers’, 
and on an old fashioned square centre 
table was to be seen the ancient family 
Bible containing the family records. 
Among other relics of the past were to 
be seen sets of ancient china, pewter 
platters and table dishes of the same 
material, many of which were older than 
the house, having been brought from 
England. An old spinning wheel, reel, 
hetchel, and a very ancient looking 
warming-pan, also attracted a visitor’s 
attention. At the side of the house was 
the old well curb, with its long hickory 
sweep, iron chain and old oaken bucket 
covered with moss, with which Sam 
Smith still drew ^-ater from the same 
well that his ancestors had used. 


THE OLD HOMESTEAD. 1 3 

Mrs. Smith, like the majority of New 
England women, was thoroughly com- 
petent to carry on a business. She was 
really more competent in that respect 
than her drunken husband, and so when 
President Lincoln issued his call for 
volunteers, shortly after the first gun was 
fired, that gave the signal for the war of 
the rebellion in i86i, she assumed con- 
trol of her husband’s butchering business 
and allowed him to go to the front and 
take part in that mighty conflict for the 
preservation of the Union. During his 
absence she bought the sheep herself 
from neighboring farmers and drovers, 
and with the assistance of a half grown 
hired bay about fourteen, named Charles 
Mason, had them fattened for market, 
where, after her neighbor, Isaac Pratt, 
had killed them, she herself sold the 
mutton to the customers. 

When Sam Smith entered the army, 
his wife invited an old friend, of about 
her own age, to make her home with her, 


14 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

an invitation that was accepted at once. 
The business of Sam Smith continued to 
prosper in his wife’s hands, and was of 
such proportions in a few months that 
she engaged Peter, a very ugly negro, 
formerly in her husband’s employ in the 
market, to work about the house and 
farm, and kill the sheep, in which he was 
expert. The woman who had come to 
live with her had married about the 
same time as Mrs. Smith, but was now a 
grass widow known as Mrs. Moses Wat- 
son, or rather, simply Sarah Watson. 

Between Sarah Watson and Mrs. 
Hannah Smith there existed the most 
ardent friendship. It must be partly 
true that persons are often attracted to 
their opposites ; indeed, it must have 
been entirely true in this instance, for 
two more devoted friends of different 
temperaments and the same sex, cer- 
tainly never slept in the same bed than 
these two New England women. Grass- 
widows, as it is well known, are those 


THE OLD HOMESTEAD. 1$ 

women whose husbands are still living, 
but with whom they have ceased to live, 
and have not been divorced. In the case 
of Mrs. Sarah Watson, the cause of her 
separation from her husband was an un- 
common one ; he had proved her guilty 
of infidelity, but as they had no children 
had not obtained a divorce, as is usual in 
such cases. The matter was kept very 
quiet on account of her wealthy relatives 
from whom her husband hoped, some 
day, to obtain, through his unfaithful 
wife, ample remuneration for his great 
domestic trouble, — a vain hope in the 
minds of many who knew the cause of 
their separation, because Moses was 
forty years her senior, and in all proba- 
bility would die first. 

There was nothing abnormally remark- 
able about the inhabitants of the old 
Smith homestead, nor did any of them 
have any strange peculiarities of habit, 
thought, or manner, unless it may be 
mentioned that Mrs. Sarah Watson was 


1 6 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

addicted to taking morphine ; but this is 
a habit so common among women of all 
classes, who are never suspected of 
using the drug, that it is scarcely worthy 
of a passing notice. The only really 
objectionable person, Sam Smith, the 
drunken head of the household, was at 
the war fighting for his country, killing 
the enemies of the Union instead of 
sheep, as he had done since his early 
youth, for he had succeeded his father 
and grandfather in the butchering busi- 
ness. It was from them that he also 
inherited the peculiar physical weakness 
which made him a victim to that per- 
nicious vice, intemperance ; his grand- 
father being particularly afflicted in that 
way ; in fact not only his grandfather but 
his father and several of his uncles and 
great uncles had died from diseases 
superinduced by the inordinate use of 
intoxicating beverages, which was no 
reason however that the present repre- 
sentative of the family should meet with 


THE OLD HOMESTEAD. 1 7 

a similar fate, for many of the leading 
men of the world are total abstainers, 
and yet some of them are the sons of 
drunkards. 


CHAPTER II. 


THE PICNIC. 

During the first year of the war Mrs. 
Smith placed several hundred dollars in 
bank to her husband’s credit, and about 
one thousand dollars in her own name 
in a savings bank ; the latter deposit 
having been suggested as a precautionary 
measure by Sarah Watson, who kept 
continually reminding Mrs. Smith, that 
in case Sam Smith should be killed, 
there might be trouble about money 
matters until his estate could be settled 
by the courts. No sinister motive was 
suspected at the time, as far as Sarah 
Watson was concerned, but so avaricious 
do persons sometimes become, that it was 
not long before Mrs. Smith had yielded 
entirely to Sarah’s advice and habitually 

i8 


THE PICNIC. 


19 


put all the profits of the business in her 
own name, in several different banks. 

Letters were often received from Sam 
Smith during the first year of the war, 
each of which gave a graphical account 
of his army life, and the experience of 
himself and comrades while following the 
fortune# of their leaders. Finally he 
wrote to his wife informing her that he 
had re-enlisted for three years, and then 
after a time his letters ceased entirely. 
It was supposed he had been killed, but 
nothing was known positively on the 
subject. A man named Samuel Smith 
was reported killed among a list of Mas- 
sachusets soldiers, but the name was such 
a very common one that the report could 
not be easily verified, and so there the 
matter was left, in doubt. However, 
Sam s business continued to prosper, and 
his wife pursued her customary course of 
putting all the profits in banks to her 
individual credit. And so the weeks and 
months rolled on. 


20 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


Nothing transpired worth recording, 
until August, 1862, when John and Ida, 
who occasionally attended the Sunday- 
school of the Presbyterian Church in 
Lynn, were invited to the Grand An- 
nual picnic, held in a woods in the town 
of Chelsea. Among the many children 
present on the memorable occasi^ were 
those of Mr. Thomas Hand, the wealthy 
shoe manufacturer of Lynn, and the 
three children of James Reynolds, Esq., 
the well-known and very popular Boston 
lawyer, who with his family resided in a 
beautiful villa in Lynn. Mr. Hand’s 
three little girls, Clara, Flora, and Cora, 
were accompanied by their mother, and 
Mr. Reynolds’ boys were under the es- 
pecial care of his sister-in-law. Miss 
Anna Harland, who saw that Thomas, 
Charles, and Harry kept out of mischief. 
John and Ida Smith went to the picnic 
alone, with the understanding that Peter, 
the negro employed by their mother, 
was to go out to the woods where the 


THE PICNIC. 


2 I 

affair was held, at four o’clock, and re- 
turn with them in a covered wagon. 

This negro, Peter, was such a char- 
acter in his way that a slight description 
of him, though not necessary, may prove 
interesting. He was, as has already been 
stated, a very ugly negro ; was about 
five feet in height, and of pure African 
descent. He was very religious, attend- 
ing the Methodist Church regularly, be- 
ing almost indispensable at camp meeting, 
where he was always to be found, whether 
held by white or colored people. It may 
be of interest to some persons to know 
that although all pure negroes’ facial 
angles seem to ally the race more closely 
to apes than do the physiognomies of 
other races, that it has recently been 
scientifically demonstrated that notwith- 
standing the very close resemblance ex- 
isting between the lowest types of men 
and the highest types of apes, anatomy 
has proven beyond the slightest doubt 
that men have not evoluted from either 


22 


THE CURSE OF' MARRIAGE. 


existing apes or an alleged extinct spe- 
cies. 

When Peter arrived at the woods in 
Chelsea where the picnic v/as in prog- 
ress, he found about one hundred per- 
sons enjoying themselves in various ways, 
some wandering among the oaks, others 
were reading, while many of the little 
children were jumping rope, or playing 
hide-and-seek behind the trees. The 
pastor of the church and the superintend- 
ent of the Sunday-school were discuss- 
ing the advisability of closing the exer- 
cises of the day by having the scholars 
sing one of their favorite hymns, and 
then the pastor would be ready to give 
the benediction, after a prayer had been 
offered by the superintendent. Such 
were to be the closing exercises of this 
day of enjoyment. 

Before the scholars had assembled, 
however, to commence the hymn, Peter 
went to the superintendent and asked if 
he knew “ Whar leetle Massa John Smif 


THE PICNIC. 


23 


an’ his sister Missy Ida whar?" I do 
not, Peter,” replied Mr. Nathan John- 
ston, the superintendent. “ It am berry 
funny, sah,” said Peter. “ I’se ben ah’ 
looked all ober de woods, sah, an’ I 
dun see ’em nowhar.” Peter it must be 
remembered was from South Carolina, 
was supposed, by the way, to be a run- 
away darkey, and spoke in the quaint 
dialect of the Southern negro. It is 
worthy of record that he could read a 
little, and write after a fashion, though 
his spelling was very phonetic. How he 
had acquired these accomplishments was 
a mystery, but then he was unusually 
clever. After the benediction, Peter 
again accosted the superintendent, re- 
marking that, “ It beats de bugs whar 
does chillin am dun gone, sah,” adding, 

I dunno what to do. I dun can fine 
’em. I’se gone an’ looked all ober de 
whol’ meetin’ groun’s sah, an’ no pusson 
aint seed ’em or heerd on em for mor’n 
an hour.” 


24 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

As Peter finished speaking, Mrs. Hand 
came toward Mr. Johnston and asked if 
he knew where her youngest daughter 
Cora was. He replied in the negative. 
Miss Anna Harland, the sister-in-law of 
Mr. James Reynolds, joined Mrs Hand 
at this moment, remarking that little 
Harry, who had a short time before been 
with his brothers, was missing. After 
some conversation among the teachers, 
in ’which the good pastor, whose name 
was David Williams, and Mr. Nathan 
Johnston joined, it was decided that the 
four missing children must have wan- 
dered along the road that led to the 
town of Lynn, and that as in all proba- 
bility they would be overtaken, it was as 
well to start for Lynn at once. This 
being the opinion of all, they started, in 
large wagons, and stages, as they had 
come in the morning, Peter bringing 
up the rear in the covered wagon in 
which he had driven from the farm. 

It was a sad ending to the delightful 


THE PICNIC. 


25 


day spent under such favorable auspices, 
for everything in nature had been in 
harmony with the joyous hearts of the 
little children. The day had been per- 
fectly clear ; there had not been too much 
east wind from the ocean, just enough in 
fact to lull the busy insects of the woods 
to innocuous desuetude, and keep the 
mosquitoes of the adjacent marsh in their 
damp, malarial home, where they had no 
chance to feast in myriads upon the 
merry little ones, which would not have 
been the case if the wind had blown 
toward the woods from the country 
across the marsh, being what is known 
there as a land breeze in contradistinc- 
tion to the east wind or sea breeze, so 
much dreaded by persons with weak 
lungs who reside in Boston and its 
neighboring towns, during the fall and 
winter seasons. Even the old black 
horse, Sultan, driven by Peter, seemed 
to share the dread and anxiety that had 
so suddenly fallen upon the returning 


26 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


company which was now slowly wending 
its way along that dusty road, for he trot- 
ted on with a lack of energy which was 
but too apparent when compared with 
the brisk gait with which he had left his 
stable at the farm. And what made his 
inactivity seem still more strange was 
the fact that horses, particularly old 
horses, are always more eager to return 
home than to leave it. It was very 
strange, for as he trotted on he snorted 
as if he scented danger. 

After the returning Sunday-school 
had driven a hundred yards from the 
scene of the day’s festivities, a cry of 
surprise was heard, as Mrs. Hand 
jumped from her carriage, which was the 
foremost one, almost before it had 
stopped, and went up to a dusty, tired 
looking little boy who was sitting on a 
stone by the roadside, whom she had at 
once recognized as John Smith, one of 
the lost children. 

Where is my little daughter Cora ? 


THE PICNIC. 


27 


What have you done with her?” asked 
Mrs. Hand, who stood in the road breath- 
less with dread and fear, as she held 
John by each shoulder with both hands. 
Littlejohn was for the time dumb ; he 
was not used to such vehement words 
and began to cry, for he was only nine 
years old. All the vehicles had now 
stopped, many o'f their occupants crowd- 
ing around the boy who, in response to 
Miss Anna Harland’s question as to the 
whereabouts of her nephew, Harry Rey- 
nolds and the others, replied that he did 
not know. 

Pastor Williams now came forward 
and said : Do not cry, little boy ; if you 
know where the children are tell us, — tell 
me. There, you have nothing to fear. 
Come, what has become of them ?” 

‘‘The black man has them,” John re- 
plied. 

“The black man !” exclaimed every- 
body ; even those who had remained in 
the wagons and were now within hearing 


28 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


distance joining in the general exclama- 
tion. 

“ The black man ! What black man ? ” 
asked Mr. Johnston. 

“ Why, the black man,” repeated 
John. 

It was no use, let who would ask him, 
his only reply was, “ that the black man 
had the children,” and that was all the 
information that could be obtained from 
him on the subject. 

A sudden and brilliant idea now ema- 
nated from the brain of the cultured pas- 
tor. “The boy,” he said, “has repeat- 
edly stated that the black man has the 
children. Where is the black man ? ” 

“ Pwhy, it must be Pater ; who ilse 
but that quare, uncanny, half monkey 
nager,” answered Michael Murphy, the 
young Irishman who was Mrs. Hand’s 
coachman. 

“Where is he?” inquired a dozen 
voices at once. Somebody said he was 
at the end of the fifteen or twenty teams 


THE PICNIC. 


29 


in a covered wagon.. Nearly all the men 
and a great many of the women now ran 
back to where Peter sat ‘in the wagon. 
He had been too far down the road to 
see or hear that little John had been 
found, and when the crowd surrounded 
the wagon in which he sat, Peter did not 
understand, or at least appeared not to 
know what was the occasion of the 
tumult. 

“ Peter, what have you done with the 
children?” asked Pastor Williams, who 
was the first to speak. “ De chillen, sah, 
I dunno whar de chillen am dun gone, sah. 
I ain’t hab foun’ ’em yet ; bin watchin' 
all ’long de road, sah, eber sens we druv 
outen de woods.” At this moment 
Peter’s eyes fell on little John, who had 
been led back to the wagon by Mr. John- 
ston, and leaping from the wagon he 
ran up to him, then falling on his knees 
he took both the boy’s hands in his and 
exclaimed, “Fode Lawd, Massa John, 
whar you dun com fram. Dare, don yoo 


30 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

cry, honny. Yoo ain’ hurt, am yoo ? Yoo 
ain’ cut no whar ? ” 

“ Diz yez hare pwhat the black nagar 
sez ? ” exclaimed Michael Murphy. '' He 
axes the buy ef he’sh cut. Diz yez know 
its mesilf that thinks the nagar met the 
childer walkin’ in the road whan he was 
drivin’ to the woods, and its mesilf that 
belaves a durthy black nagar will be 
afther doin’ onything. Mabbe he’s been 
an’ murthered ’em wid a razor, and it’s 
this buy only that hash eshcaped.” 

“ Great Heavens, Michael ! how can 
you think of such a thing?” exclaimed 
Mrs. Hand, after her young coachman 
had thus expressed his opinion. “Oh! 
Cora, where are you ? Will I ever see 
my darling again ? ” 

“We must trust in God, Mrs Hand,” 
replied Pastor Williams, in that soothing 
tone so familiar to the members of his 
church. “ Come, let us all start for 
home at once. It will soon be night and 
may be dark before we arrive in Lynn.” 


THE PICNIC. 


31 


Mr. Johnston,” he whispered, “keep 
your eye on Peter.” And then said he 
aloud, “John, tell me the truth, my boy. 
Where are the children who went to 
walk with you ? ” 

“ The black man has them,” replied 
the boy. 

“What black man ?” asked Mr. John- 
ston, and then without waiting for John 
to reply, he pointed toward Peter and 
asked in a suspicious tone, “ Is this the 
black man ? ” 

“ Yes,” replied the little fellow, “ Peter 
is a black man, he is our black man.” 
And when they all started for Lynn, 
they were no wiser than before. 


CHAPTER III. 


THE STORM. 

By the time the Picnic Party arrived 
in Lynn it was nearly dark. The sky, 
which all day had been so cloudless was 
becoming overcast, admonishing the in- 
habitants that a storm was approaching. 
For this reason, the children ' hurried 
home, but only to speak with bated 
breath of the mysterious disappearance 
of the little friends who had rambled off, 
no one knew where. The pastor, the 
superintendent, and the teachers also, 
returned to their respective homes, as 
did Mrs. Hand, Miss Anna Harland and 
Peter, who drove directly to the farm, 
taking little John with him. 

Peter at once informed Mrs. Smith 
that Ida was lost, also relating the dis- 
32 


THE STORM. 


33 


appearance of the other children, adding 
that they had all been walking some- 
where with John, who had afterward 
been found alone on the road as they 
were returning to Lynn. Mrs. Smith’s 
grief on hearing the sad news was in- 
tense. Sarah Watson was also very much 
overcome, and both women wept bitterly, 
reproaching themselves for allowing the 
two children to go to the woods with the 
Sunday-school without them, or at least 
one of them ; for it had not been a busy 
day at the farm, and one of them could 
have gone as well as not. If the truth 
were told, neither of them had gone 
because they did not care to meet the 
pastor and Sunday-school teachers, for 
the simple reason that each knew^ and 
felt, with that intuitive sense peculiar to 
their sex, that at least one of them and 
perhaps both might possibly, and in fact 
very probably would have been slighted 
in various ways. 

And the reason of their being slighted 


3 


34 the curse of marriage. 

and viewed askance was obvious. It 
was known to all in that particular 
church where they had both been mar- 
ried, that Sarah Watson did not live 
with her husband, and it was generally 
known in Lynn, as in all small towns 
such matters are sure to be known, that 
she had been untrue to him. Moses 
Watson, that aged husband, had told it 
himself, in the bar rooms of the town, 
and although nothing was known against 
Mrs. Hannah Smith’s character for vir- 
tue, still it is always safe to judge per- 
sons by the company they keep, for as 
it is an ornithological fact that “birds of 
a feather flock together,” so is what is 
true of birds true of men and women. 
Thousands of persons have socially os- 
tracised themselves by continually asso- 
ciating with others whose companion- 
ship they found agreeable, though at the 
same time it was known to them, and to 
the world at large, that these very per- 
sons had not a rag of character to hang 


THE STORM. 


35 


their names to; nay, that if the truth was 
fully told and justice had done her work, 
that these “scabs” of our system of civili- 
zation, if not working in the jails of our 
country, would at least be shunned by 
all persons who understand the meaning 
of the words honesty and honor. The 
only excuse that can be found for per- 
sons who persistently choose to associ- 
ate with the “scabs,” the outcasts of re- 
spectable society, is that they have no 
self-respect, and lacking that, are not 
conscious of the unenviable position 
they occupy in the eyes of their friends 
and neighbors. Such was the position 
of these two women, though fortunately 
for their neighbors both had the good 
sense not to force themselves where 
they felt they might not have been wel- 
come. 

By eight o’clock it was dark, and the 
storm that had been approaching was at 
its height. The lightning flashed, the 
thunder rolled, and the bounteous sum- 


36 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE; 

mer rain came down in torrents, turning 
the dusty roads in the vicinity of the 
farm to sticky mud, quantities of which 
overflowed the highways and ran in 
a diluted state into the gullies on either 
side. The wind blew great sheets of 
water from the ancient elms in front of 
the house, and forced it in huge splashes 
against the small glass panes of the old 
fashioned windows of the Smiths’ ances- 
tral home. The -dismal drip, drip, drip, 
of the rain from a leak, as it fell in an 
old tin pan in the shed, reminded the 
two women of that well-known awesome 
drip, drip, drip, from an ice chest con- 
taining the corpse of a father, or a 
mother ; for both had heard it in their 
childhood, in the State of Maine, and as 
that dismal sound brought back the past, 
the mother wept for her child in the 
storm, who might be dead, and Sarah in 
sympathy, to think her friend’s child was 
lost, was gone, perhaps forever. 

Presently Peter came into the kitchen 


THE STORM. 


37 


where they were, and sat down quietly 
in the old fashioned open fireplace, in 
which fire was only kept burning in the 
winter, except for cooking, as he had 
done many a time in the fireplace of his 
master’s kitchen on the plantation in 
South Carolina long before the war. 
Little John was seated on a low stool 
looking at some pictures in an album, 
which he could see but poorly by the 
light, the flickering light of a tallow 
candle in an ancient brass candlestick, 
and was the most unmoved of all. Pres- 
ently there came a stream of water 
mixed with soot down the chimney of the 
empty fireplace where Peter sat, and as 
it ran directly down his back he sought 
drier quarters immediately, which he 
found in a far corner of the kitchen. 
Even as far as in this old kitchen could 
be heard the splash and patter of the 
rain as it dropped and dropped, and 
ever and anon, was blown from the, 
branches of the elm trees upon the ^ 


38 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

weather worn shingles of the roof. And 
then there came a crash, a blinding flash 
of lurid lightning, simultaneously with a 
deep peal of thunder, that made the very 
rafters tremble. Both women screamed, 
the light of the candle grew dim by 
contrast, little John fell off his stool, and 
Peter stood as if electrified in the centre 
of the room. 

'' Fo de Lawd, Missus Smif, I do b’live 
de button-ball tree on de udder side ob 
de road op’site de fron’ gate am be’n 
struck, shure.” 

Mrs. Smith did not appear to hear 
Peter’s remarks, for she was then upon 
her knees, with her head in Sarah’s lap, 
weeping and calling on Heaven to protect 
her Ida in the storm. Presently the side 
door opened, and Charles Mason, the 
half-grown hired boy, came in to say 
that three sheep had been killed by light- 
ning, which had struck a tree near the 
^ fold in which they were placed at night, 
and over which he slept in a small loft. 


THE STORM. 


39 


Am de button-ball tree struck, too ? ” 
asked Peter. But Charles had closed the 
door and gone back to the sheep-fold, 
almost before Peter had finished asking 
the question. 

By this time the storm was abating. 
Yes, that last terrific crash had discharged 
the electric fluid from the clouds in such 
quantities that the force of the storm 
was well-nigh spent. And now the 
sound of heavy carriage wheels, mixed 
with the dull splash of the muddy feet 
of horses could be heard distinctly. The 
carriage stopped at the front gate, and 
Peter ran out to see who was there. The 
two women stood at the open doon peer- 
ing out into the dark, while Sarah held 
one hand near the flame of the candle 
she had, to prevent its being extinguished 
by the wind, that was still blowing hard 
although the rain had ceased. 

‘‘ Yas, sah, com’ right in, sah, dis way,” 
they heard Peter say. And then was 
heard in the darkness the cough of one 


40 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


of the horses in the carriage at the gate, 
and a moment afterward .the scrunch, 
scrunch of feet upon the gravel walk, 
as they approached the house. 

“ Have you found your little girl, Mrs. 
Smith? I am Mr. Hand, and this is Mr. 
Reynolds.” 

“ Good evenin’, walk right in, both of 
you. No, I’ve not found her, nor heard 
of her,” replied Mrs. Smith. 

“It is very remarkable,” said Mr. Rey- 
nolds. 

“ It is terrible, terrible,” remarked 
Sarah, who also asked the two men in. 
And then when they were seated, asked, 
“ Have neither of you found your chil- 
dren?” 

“ No, marm, we have not, nor got any 
clew to their whereabouts either, which 
is ten time worse,” remarked Mr. Hand. 
“Excuse me, Mrs. Smith, but where is 
your little son, who was with them?” 
asked Mr.> Reynolds. 


THE STORM. 


41 


“John, come here,” said his mother.” 
“H ere he is, gentlemen.” 

“John,” said Mr. Reynolds, “now 
tell us exactly where you and your little 
sister and our two children went after 
you left the woods.” 

“ Down the road,” replied John. 

“Well, where then?” continued Mr. 
Reynolds. 

John was silent. So were all for a few 
moments. 

“ Look here, John, you must tell us 
where the children are if you know,” said 
Mr. Hand, who broke this very awkward 
silence. 

“ The black man has them,” replied 
John. 

“ Pshaw, this is trifling,” exclaimed 
Mr. Reynolds. “ It’s the same story told 
by Rev. David Williams, our Pastor, and 
Superintendent Johnston, and the Sunday- 
school teachers, and in fact everybody we 
ask. . They all say that it has been told 
them that the children went away with 


42 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

a black man. There was only one black 
man about that we know of, and he’s 
your man Peter, and he was the first to 
look for the lost little ones,” and then 
looking a moment at Peter, who stood 
near the door, with the whites of his eyes 
rolling and shining in the candle-light, 
which gave or seemed to give an almost 
dead black hue to his very dark and ugly 
face, he continued the conversation by 
informing Mrs. Smith and Sarah Watson 
that, “ This matter of the strange dis- 
appearance of these three children is in 
the hands of the police.” 

‘‘Good night, ladies,” said both, and in 
a moment they had gone out into the 
darkness of the night, and then the car- 
riage was heard to turn and start toward 
Lynn. The sounds of the wheels and of 
the horses’ hoofs grew faint and fainter, 
as they splashed in the mud, and then 
all was still until the silence was broken 
by the hooting of an owl that had 
perched upon one of the elm trees near 


THE STORM. 


43 


the door, where the. women still stood, 
now looking at the stars, for they alone 
were visible, the moon being hidden by a 
cloud. The lights of Lynn could be 
barely seen, glimmering in the distance, 
to the right, and as* they stood there, 
there came back to these two women the 
memory of other days, — days when both 
were young and had worked side by side 
in the same shoe factory in Lynn, where 
as girls they had become friends. 

It is wonderful how much influence 
for evil one woman has over another ; 
it is really marvellous. I believe it 
is a recognized fact that one woman 
can, and will, often corrupt another 
woman in a shorter time and with- 
out seeming to try very hard to do so, 
than three men could if they all plied 
their machinations on the same maiden, 
married woman, or widow, at the same 
time ; and the experience of thousands of 
men of all classes and conditions proves 
that this curious fact applies to all 


44 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


classes of women, in every kind of so- 
ciety, from the lowest to the highest. 

And while they gazed upon those dis- 
tant lights of Lynn Sarah said : “ Come, 
Baby,” to Mrs. Smith, — she always called 
her Baby, — “let us go to bed. It is no 
use to worry and cry about Ida any 
more ; I’d bet almost anythin’ she will be 
found to-morrow.”* 

“ Weir, Sally, you are right, as you 
always are ; yes, we will go to bed.” 

Peter,” she said, turning toward him, 
where he sat on a chair near the door, 
“ you can lock the doors and go to 
bed.” 

“ Yas, Missus.” 

“ Come, Baby,” again said Sarah, who 
had lighted another candle, “ let’s go,” 

“ Wake up, John,” said his mother, 
“and go right up to bed. Why, yOu 
were asleep on your chair, son ; here, take 
some matches and light your candle, and 
be sure to put it out, you poor sleepy 
boy, before you get into bed.” 


THE STORM. 45 

When in their room the two women 
disrobed and‘ put on their night-gowns. 
Then they kissed each other several 
times, Sarah took her morphine powder 
as usual, and gave Mrs. Smith one for 
the first time, and after blowing out the 
candle, got into bed with her, where they 
finally went to sleep, and perhaps had 
pleasant dreams while under the influ- 
ence of the drug they had taken. 

It was now after ten o’clock by the old 
upright chiming time-piece that had be- 
longed to several grandfathers Smith. 
The clouds had disappeared from the sky, 
and an August moon lit up the ancient 
farm-house and its quaint surroundings, 
and while the only sounds that broke the 
stillness of the summer night were the 
hooting of the owls, and chirps of the 
crickets and other insects as they crawled 
about in quest of food, the family slept 


on. 


CHAPTER IV. 


JULIUS C.ESAR WASHINGTON. 

The next day the excitement in Lynn 
and the adjacent towns was intense. 
Searching parties went to Nahant and 
Swampscott, and in fact all towns near 
Lynn, and one party even as far as 
Salem. 

The police force of Boston was given 
a description of the missing children and 
photographs of them were sent all over 
New England. Nothing that ingenuity 
could invent, experience suggest, or 
wealth command was left undone ; for it 
must be remembered that the fathers of 
Cora Hand and Harry Reynolds were 
rich men. With the kindest considera- 
tion for Mrs. Smith’s motherly affection 
they sent a complete description of her 
46 


JULIUS C^SAR WASHINGTON. 47 

daughters appearance and dress, with 
copies of a recent photograph of her 
that was in the possession of her Sunday- 
school teacher, Miss Anna Harland, to 
all the towns. 

No calamity so moves the human 
hearts of all classes as the mysterious 
disappearance of innocent little children. 
All parents feel that the lost darlings 
might have been their own, and thank 
the Almighty from their very souls that 
they have been spared that terrible 
calamity. And in the case of these three 
jewels of the household, three happy 
offsprings of three mothers’ love and 
objects of their parents proud devotion, 
who can know — no matter how much 
they feel from sympathy — who can know 
the anguish, the unspeakable anguish of 
these parents’ suffering souls when they 
arose on that beautiful summer morning 
after a night of sleepless misery and 
heard that the lost had not been found. 

Mr. Reynolds did not go to his office 


48 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

in Boston on that sad day, nor did Mr. 
Hand remain long in the counting-room 
of his extensive shoe factory, where, after 
arranging the details of the business for 
the day he left his book-keeper in charge, 
and went at once to Lawyer Reynolds’ 
villa, so that they might by concerted 
action use every endeavor, personally, to 
find the children. 

Mrs. Hand and Mrs. Reynolds were 
just as much prostrated from grief as 
Mrs. Smith had been, and each had spent 
a sleepless night, in tears. Neither of 
them having taken morphine or any 
other sleeping potion, as the friend of 
Sarah Watson had, were on this sad 
morning sorry sights indeed, with their 
red and swollen eyes, inflamed with con- 
stant weeping, and their nervous systems 
shaken to the very centre. 

There is probably not anything that 
so shakes and tortures the human soul 
as anxiety ; the dread, the uncertain, 
vague dread of the possibility of some- 


JULIUS C^SAR WASHINGTON. 


49 


thing terrible about to happen to those 
we love, has caused more sleepless 
nights, more tears and hours of fearful 
torture, than any other feeling to which 
poor suffering man is subject in his pas- 
sage through this life. When we have 
closed the eyes of those we love in death 
and laid their ashes in the grave, we all 
can feel that there their sufferings end, 
and then can hope that in that other 
world, ruled by the same almighty power 
that rules our earth, we shall in future 
time be once again the same to each and 
all as we were here, before the debt to 
nature had been paid. 

But when those we love with the 
deepest love that can be felt by human 
hearts — that for our little children, inno- 
cent in the eyes of God and man, rely- 
ing on us for everything they need to 
make their lives happy, — I say when 
they have been suddenly spirited away 
no man knows whither, how much more 
fearful is the anxiety that must be borne 


50 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

with fortitude and resignation, if we 
would not have it drive us mad. Then 
it is that the most ungrateful and most 
selfish persons resort to prayer, not per- 
haps to the set prayers of any particular 
form of orthodox religion, but most 
likely to a few short sentences, rugged 
in their simplicity, offered with stream- 
ing eyes, and hands extended to the sky, 
as with choking sobs the suffering par- 
ents call on nature’s God to guard their 
wandering child, and bring it back un- 
harmed, that it may once more light 
their pathway with the smiles and merry 
laughter of its joyous life, without which 
life their home seems but an empty, bar- 
ren place, more fit for beasts than men. 

When Mr. Hand entered Mr. Rey- 
nolds’ library that morning it was with a 
heavy heart, for he had no good news to 
impart. 

“ Has anything been heard of our chil- 
dren? ’’asked Mr. Reynolds, as his com- 
panion in misery sat down. 


JULIUS C^SAR WASHINGTON. 5 I 

“ Nothin’,” replied Mr. Hand, “every- 
thin’ has been done that might assist us 
in findin’ them, but so far, in vain. We 
have not the slightest clew, that is likely 
to lead to a solution of the mystery of 
their sudden disappearance.” 

“ Have you made inquiry concerning 
the efforts of the Boston police ? ” asked 
Mr. Reynolds. 

“ Yes,” replied his visitor. “ I inquired 
when at my factory this mornin’ if a 
telegram had come for me, from Boston, 
and was told by my book-keeper that 
none had.” “ Hand, what is your private 
opinion about the strange affair, anyhow ? 
Speak low, for I do not want my wife to 
hear anything depressing. She’s in a 
bad enough state already.” 

“ Well, to be candid, Reynolds, since 
we are literally both in the same boat, I 
believe our little ones have been stolen, 
and perhaps by a negro, or a very dark 
looking white man, for you know that 
Smith boy sticks to it that a black man 


52 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

took them, and acting on this sugges- 
tion, I have given orders to arrest any 
strange negro seen prowlin’ about any- 
where within twenty miles of Lynn, and 
to have all suspicious lookin’ dark skinned 
men, whether mulattoes, Italians, Span- 
iards, or Portuguese, sailors or otherwise, 
watched, and if there should be anythin’ 
really suspicious about them to arrest 
them at once and hold them for further 
examination, which can be done you know 
merely on suspicion.” 

“ That’s as it should be. Hand, and I 
quite agree with you in believing that 
our children have been stolen. Come, 
let us go to the police station and see 
Taggart. It is now ten o’clock, and we 
have a long dreary day before us.” So, 
putting on their hats, they started for the 
station house, where Chief of Police Tag- 
gart detailed men to protect the inhabi- 
tants of Lynn from those crooks” that 
day and night come from Boston, to ply 
their nefarious calling. 


JULIUS C^SAR WASHINGTON. 53 

“Any news, Chief?” asked Mr. Rey- 
nolds, going up to the desk where Chief 
Taggart sat. 

“Yes,” replied the chief. “We 
arrested a strange nigger in a buildin’ 
this mornin’, ’bout six o’clock. He said 
he b’longed out Malden way, an’ had 
only gone to sleep in the buildin’ because 
he was all het up a walkin’ from Salem, 
day befor’, and not havin’ no cash, he’d 
jist crawled into the place an gone dead 
to sleep late last night, so to be ready to 
take a fresh start early this mornin’, but 
you see our man on that post seen him 
while makin’ his early round, an’ pulled 
him in before he’d a chance to escape.” 

“ Found him in a buildin’ you say. 
What buildin’ ? whose buildin’ ? where is 
it ? ” asked Mr. Hand. 

“Yes, Chief,” said Mr. Reynolds; 
“where is this building? perhaps the 
children are concealed somewhere in it, 
in one of the closets or garret ” — 


54 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


“ Or the cellar, perhaps,” continued 
Mr. Hand. 

“ No, sir. I’m positive the’re not any- 
where ’bout the buildin’, because you see 
it happens to be a new one, a store, only 
’bout half finished and without floors 
except the first,” answered the chief. 

“Well, let’s see this black man any- 
how,” said Mr. Hand. 

“ Yes,” echoed Mr. Reynolds, “ let us 
see him, as Mr. Hand suggests.” 

“ Officer,” called the chief, “ show 
these two gentlemen the nigger that 
come in early this mornin’.” 

They followed the officer to the base- 
ment where the cells were, and there, 
confined in a small one was a large, very 
burly looking negro, apparently about 
fifty years of age, who regarded them 
with a look of mingled curiosity and dis- 
trust as he gazed first on one and then 
on the other through the grating of the 
iron door of his cell. He did not seem 
to understand why he had become the 


JULIUS C^SAR WASHINGTON. 55 

object of so much curious attention, hav- 
ing already been viewed by more than a 
score of persons whose faces he had never 
seen before. 

“ I do not recognize him,” whispered 
Mr. Reynolds to Mr. Hand. 

“ Nor do I. I never see the black 
cuss before,” replied Mr. Hand, also in a 
whisper. 

“What’s your name.^” asked Mr. 
Reynolds, his legal habit of asking 
questions at once asserting itself under 
such a very favorable opportunity. 

“ My name am Julius Caesar Wash- 
ington, sah, fram de State ob old Var- 
ginny, sah, whar ma people whar in de 
fam’ly ob de great Gineral Washington’s 
relations, sah, eber sin’s day dun bro^t 
ma gran’fadder from Africa whar he wus 
de kine ob de whol’ tribe of Guinea 
culled people, sah, an’ I wus g’en my free- 
dom, ’cause I worked ober time, sah, an’ 
bought it from my young massa, named 
Massa Hampton. I won’ t’ explain, 


56 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

gemmen, dat I ain’t no runaway dats 
com’ hyar on de undergroun’ railroad, ef 
dats what I’m hyar foh. Oon’ one ob yoo 
gemmen g’en me a chaw ob t’baccy ? 
I’se dun be’n locked in hyar sins’ ’bout 
sunrise dis morning an I dun hab no idee 
foh what, and I’se ’bout ha’f dekl foh a 
chaw.” 

“ Well, ” whispered Mr. Hand to Mr. 
Reynolds, he is a great talker isn’t 
he ? Shall I give him some tobacco ? 
I use it, you know, and have a piece in 
my pocket.” 

'‘Yes,” replied Mr. Reynolds, “give it 
to him and we will just let him talk 
and see what will come of it.” 

“ Here, Julius Caesar Washington,” 
said Mr. Hand, “ is some chewing to- 
bacco.” 

“ Much obleg’d, t’ank yoo, sah, t’ank 
yoo, gemmen. I ken alius tell a gemmen 
soon’s I sees ’im, sah.” 

“You can keep the whole piece,” said 
Mr. Hand to the negro, who was about 


JULIUS CiESAR WASHINGTON. 57 

to return the tobacco, after having bit- 
ten out a large chunk. 

“Where do you live?” asked Mr. 
Reynolds. 

“ I libs outen de country, n’ar Malden, 
whar I hab a cabin an’ does odd jobs 
’bout ’mong de farms.” 

“ What were you dohng in that build- 
ing when the officer arrested you early 
this morning?” he continued, looking at 
Mr. Hand. 

“ Sleepin’, sah.” 

“ And how long had you been there ? ” 
asked Mr.. Hand, who now thought he 
would ask a few questions. 

“ Sins’ ’bout midnight, sah.” 

“ And,” he continued, “where did you 
say you had come from ? ” 

“ Fram Salemb.” 

The bereaved fathers now withdrew 
some distance from the cell, and held 
the following conversation in a low tone, 
so as not to be overheard by the 
negro. 


58 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

“It is of little use, Reynolds, to waste 
our time with this fellow ; he is evidently 
a tramp who goes ’bout sleeping in barns 
and new buildiri’s, and gets his meals by 
beggin’ or stealin’, like many of his race. 
Why, he’s a liar to begin with. You 
remember he said he had bought his 
freedom. That’s the worst I ever heard. 
Why I’d as—” 

“ Hold on a moment, Hand, not quite 
so fast, if you please. We, as you said 
this morning at my house, are literally ‘in 
the same boat.’ Now you just keep 
perfectly still and let me question him. 
I am used to it; see? We lawyers, you 
know, make our living by examining and 
cross examining, and as this is the first 
and only instance of anything like a 
clew, I shall follow it up, until something 
comes of it, or it ends in nothing. Now 
please do not interfere. You know just 
as well as I do that there are very few 
negroes in this part of the country ; they 
can’t stand the climate in winter very 


JULIUS C^SAR WASHINGTON. 59 

well on account of the east wind, and as 
a general thing they do not come here 
during the summer, preferring to stop in 
Philadelphia or. Baltimore, where they 
can thrive both winter and summer. Of 
course we know the runaways get here 
sometimes — thanks to the abolitionists 
and their underground railroad, as they 
call it. But, you just keep still and let 
me do all the talking ; something may 
come of it.” 

All right ; go ahead, Reynolds, it’s no 
use to argue with you I know, so go 
ahead.” 

“ Hand, just think a moment. That 
Smith boy told us plainly in the pres- 
ence of his mother that ‘ a black man 
had them.’ Now there must certainly be 
some foundation for that statement; re- 
member his little sister is lost as well as 
our children.” 

That’s so, Reynolds. Go ahead and 
question this ‘ black man.’ I have no 
more to say.” 


6o 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


“ Well, Washington,” said Mr. Rey- 
nolds, advancing to the cell. 

“ ’Sense me, sah,” said the negro, draw- 
ing himself up to his full height, “ but 
I’d prefar to be called by my middle 
name ob Caesar, sah, whan de whol’ ob 
my name am not used at wance. .I’se 
mor’ used ta de name.” 

Both the visitors smiled in spite of 
their heavy hearts, at the pomposity of 
this conceited negro with the high sound- 
ing names, who talked of his being the 
grandson of an African king, although 
he was apparently now only a tramp, 
and the inmate of a cell as a suspicious 
character. 

“ Well, Caesar, then,” said Mr. Rey- 
nolds with emphasis ; “ I suppose you 
walked here from Salem,” 

“ Yas, sah.” 

“And how long did it take you to 
walk that distance ? ” 

“ Fram e’rly in de mornin’, sah. ’fore 
de sunrise.” 


JULIUS Ci^iSAR WASHINGTON. 6 1 

‘‘What time did you arrive in Lynn ?” 

“ I’se dun toll yoo, sah, dat I got hyar^ 
’bout midnight, an’ I went to de buildin’ 
an’ went right to sleep.” 

“ So you did, Caesar, that’s a fact ! ” 
“Yas, sah, dat am a fact, shure, but 
wha’ you axe me so many quessions foh ?” 

“ Why, you see, Caesar, we want to get 
you out of here ! ” 

“ Am dat so indeedy, sah ? ” 

“Yes, Caesar, and now tell us if you 
stopped on the way, whom you met, and 
everything that transpired on the road, 
and we can, I think, get you out all right. 

I am Mr. Reynolds, the lawyer, of Bos- 
ton.” 

“ Ez yoo a lawyar? Whal, sah,” said 
Caesar, looking at Mr. Reynolds with 
great suspicion, “ I lef de town ob Sa- 
lemb ’fore de sunrise yistirday mornin’, 
an’ I walked ’long de road till I 
com’ to de fust mile stone, an’ ’den I 
sot down on dat stone foh to res’, an’ 
den I got up and walked till I was all 


62 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


dun up agen, an’ I sot right down on de 
bank in de woods ’long de road, an’ eat 
my bre’d an’ ham, an’ an ole white man 
com’ ’long, an’ says its hot, an’ I says 
‘ Yas, sah.’ An’ whan he had dun gone 
past in de ’rection of Salemb, I got up 
an’ walked till I met free chillen in de 
middle ob de road,” — at this informa- 
tion the fathers started, — an’ dey wus 
afeered ob me, an’ dun got outen de way 
an’ took to anudder small woods n’ar de 
roadside, an’ den I dun meet no udder 
pussons till I had gotten cl’ar to Lynn.” 

“ Which way were the children go- 
ing ? ” asked both fathers in almost the 
same breath. 

“ Dey wus goin’ in de ’rection ob 
Salemb.” 

ow old did they look to be ?” asked 
Mr. Hand. 

“ Whal,” replied Caesar, scratching his 
head, “ dey wus ’bout six or seben y’ars 
ole, I reckin, sah.” 

Julius Caesar Washington must have 


JULIUS CAESAR WASHINGTON. 63 

been astonished at the sudden departure 
of Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Hand, for they 
rushed to the office , upstairs, where still 
sat Chief Taggart, and after a hurried 
conversation with him, left the police 
station, and in less than twenty minutes 
afterward were driving at a break-neck 
speed in Mr. Hand’s carriage, toward 
the town of Salem, where they hoped 
either to find the lost ones, or obtain 
some clew that would at least be as a 
balm to the strained and almost broken 
hearts of those grief-stricken and de- 
voted mothers, whose very souls were 
racked with the torture of despair. 


CHAPTER V. 


LION LOST. 

At the old Smith homestead all was 
quiet on the morning following the dis- 
appearance of little Ida. Mrs. Smith 
and Sarah Watson arose after sleeping 
soundly all night, from the effects of the 
morphine they had taken, and after 
breakfast drove to Boston, where Mrs.' 
Smith attended to the duties of her stall 
in the old Boylston Market, while Sarah 
walked up and down Washington Street 
during the afternoon, on the lookout for 
some of her acquaintances. 

Late in the afternoon she returned 
to Mrs. Smith’s stall in the market, and 
they then went to the headquarters of 
the Boston police to ascertain if any 
news had been obtained of the missing 
64 


LION LOST. 


65 


children ; this being their second visit, 
having stopped early in the morning on 
their way to business. They were in- 
formed by the chief, who happened to 
be on duty, that it had been telegraphed' 
from Lynn that a possible clew had been 
found, leading toward Salem, and that it 
was just probable that the children had 
been found, as Mr. Reynolds and Mr. 
Hand had immediately followed the 
course the children were supposed to 
have taken ; and he added that, as those 
two gentlemen had arranged to pay all 
expenses, every clew, even the slightest, 
would be followed at once, and ended his 
conversation by advising Mrs. Smith and 
her friend Sarah to return home, and not 
worry about the affair any more, for, said 
he, “ I know from experience that mis- 
sing children generally turn up safe 
and sound in a few days, after causing 
no end of worry and trouble to every- 
body.” 

Having heard this cheering news the 
5 


66 THE CURSE OE MARRIAGE. 

two women visited a store to make a few 
necessary purchases, and then went to the 
livery stable where the old black horse 
Sultan had been left, and ordered the boy 
in charge to hitch him up at once, which 
being done, they started for home, arriv- 
ing there just before supper-time. 

After supper Mrs. Smith sent Peter to 
Lynn for the news, hoping that he would 
return with her little daughter. On this 
occasion Peter drove the gray mare 
Queen, old Sultan having done a full 
day’s work in going to Boston and 
back. 

On arriving in Lynn, Peter went to Mr. 
Hand’s residence and was informed by 
Mrs. Hand that her husband had not 
returned home yet, but that it was possible 
he was at Mr. Reynolds’, where he had 
better call before returning to the farm. 
Acting on this information, Peter drove 
at once to Mr. Reynolds’, arriving there 
at about half-past eight o’clock. 

Fortunately he found both gentlemen 


LION LOST. 


67 


there, they having just returned from 
their long ride. They told him to tell 
Mrs. Smith that their search had been 
fruitless, that they had found persons 
at a large farm house near a small woods 
described by a colored man named Julius 
Caesar Washington, and that these persons 
had informed them that three children, 
two of their own, and one a neighbor’s, 
had come running into the house the day 
before, saying that they had been fright- 
ened by a very large black man whom 
they had met on the road. The children 
were all boys, one seven and the others 
each six years old. Learning this to be 
the case they had started again for Lynn, 
stopping at every house on the road 
home to make inquiries, but had not 
learned anything of the lost children. 
On leaving the house Mr. Reynolds 
called Peter back and told him that if he 
should see Lion, his valuable Newfound- 
land dog, anywhere, to let him know. 
For, said he, “ Lion has been lost since 


68 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


the Storm and I cannot imagine where he 
can be.” 

“ Yas, sah,” said Peter. Ef I see de 
dog, I let yoo know.” 

“ ril give you a reward, Peter, if you 
find him and return him, for I would not 
part with that dog for any considera- 
tion.” 

“ All right, sah,” replied Peter, who 
got into the wagon and drove off. 

Lion was the largest Newfoundland 
dog in New England ; had taken first 
prizes at several dog shows in different 
parts of the United States, and was with- 
out doubt one of the grandest looking 
dogs to be found anywhere. In disposi- 
tion he was the personification of all 
that is noble and true in nature, possess- 
ing qualities that might well have en- 
nobled many a human being. What 
made him particularly valuable was the 
fact that he had that peculiar faculty of 
imitation possessed by some dogs to a 
limited degree, but which was so phe- 


LION LOST. 


6g 

nomenally predominant in him as to 
appear almost human. He could by 
some method of reasoning, too subtile 
for analysis, understand exactly what he 
was„ or might be, expected to do, and 
then do it without being told. For 
instance, on one occasion Mr. Reynolds 
had to go to Boston on a very early 
train, and his wife had risen early to 
see that her husband had a good break- 
fast. Lion was lying on the dining-room 
floor, when she remarked to Bridget, the 
servant girl that, ‘‘ if Mr. Reynolds did 
not come down-stairs soon he would miss 
the train.” 

Lion overheard this remark, and in- 
stantly ran upstairs to his master’s room, 
where he barked and scratched at the 
door until Mr. Reynolds had let him in, 
when he barked and wagged his tail 
until he saw Mr. Reynolds walking 
toward the door to go down-stairs, then 
taking his master’s hand satchel in his 
mouth he ran down-stairs before him, to 


70 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

the dining-room, and placed it on the 
floor beside his particular chair at the 
table. 

Once when little Harry Reynolds — one 
of the lost darlings^ — had lighted a news- 
paper with a match which he had found 
on the parlor door, this wonderful dog 
had extinguished the small condagration 
by striking it with his fore paws. 

On another occasion Mrs. Reynolds 
remarked that as they would soon move 
into their new house — where they now 
lived — it was about time to commence 
saving all the old newspapers for pack- 
ing up, and for days after this remark, 
which had been overheard by Lion, he 
would pick up every newspaper he could 
dnd and carry it to his masters room 
where he soon collected a large pile 
under the bed. 

Lion was very fond of the children of 
his master, and devoted a great deal of 
time to watching over them while they 
played on the piazza or lawn of their 


LION LOST. 7 1 

father’s villa. The offer of a reward for 
the return of this remarkable dog, 
aroused Peter’s cupidity, and so after: 
going a short distance down the street, 
after leaving Mr. Reynolds’, he deter- 
mined to commence the search at once. 
As to where Lion was, Peter of course 
had not the slightest idea. All Mr. 
Reynolds had said was that, he had 
been lost since the storm.” 

It was now nine o’clock, and a moon- 
light night, just twenty-four hours after 
that fearful storm, which had done so 
much damage, so shortly after the sad 
Sunday-school picnicers had returned to 
Lynn. 

Without seeming to have any special 
design in so doing Peter drove at random 
through the streets of Lynn, first up one 
street and then down another, wondering 
to himself where the dog could be, until 
he found himself upon the very road that 
led to the woods in Chelsea where the 
picnic had been held. Prompted more 


72 -THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

by instinct than reason, Peter continued 
out this road toward the woods, and had 
driven almost up to the copse, when he 
heard the deep baying of a large dog. 
He thought it singular, as there were no 
houses within a quarter of a mile of the 
spot, and in order to be sure that he had 
heard the baying he drove up to the 
woods and stopped the wagon while he 
listened for the sound to be repeated. 
Yes, it came again, wafted by the 
breeze from the marsh behind the woods, 
and not only did he hear that deep, soul 
stirring bay, but the angry snarls and 
yelps of what seemed to him a hundred 
dogs. He was amazed, he was afraid. 
What if they attacked him ! What would 
he do ? What could he do against so 
great a number? Nothing. And then, 
after an interval of silence, he heard 
again that deep voice, as it reverberated 
on the air and died in echoes in the dis- 
tance. There could be no mistake ; it 
was Lion’s voice, and he was evidently in 


LION LOST, • 73 

distress. What was to be done ? Even 
the gray mare Queen, pricked up her 
ears and listened as once again the om- 
inous sounds of that deep bay and those 
fearful snarls, and growls, and yelps, 
floated upon the evening air. Something 
must be done. Go through the woods 
to the marsh alone, he dare not ; for 
while he sat in the wagon, he trembled 
as if he had the ague, and cold sweat was 
running from his every pore. He stayed 
to hear no more. 

“ Dat am Lion’s voice shure,” he said 

to himself, “an’ he am in de biggest dog 

ficrht eber seen in de world,” he re- 
& 

marked, as he turned Queen and the 
wagon toward Lynn. Peter now drove 
as he had probably never driven before 
in his life, for as the wagon sped onward 
after that trotting mare, it raised a cloud 
of dust that lent a misty aspect to the 
air even in the moonlight ; nor did he 
check her speed, when in the streets of 


74 * the curse of marriage. 

Lynn, until he stopped before the villa 
of Mr. Reynolds. 

When that gentleman had himself 
opened the door in response to Peter’s 
several pulls at the bell, Peter could not 
speak. So sudden had been his trans- 
portation from the sounds and scene he 
had just left, to the flood of light that 
burst upon his eyes through the open 
door, that for the moment he stood 
breathless. 

“ Why, it’s Peter !” exclaimed Mr. Rey- 
nolds to his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Hand and 
Miss Anna Harland, who all now stood 
crowded together in the doorway, as with 
eager eyes and the most pathetic silence^ 
they awaited what they expected would 
be news of the lost little ones. 

“ What’s the matter, Peter ? ” asked 
Mr. Hand. Have you lost your 
tongue ? ” 

“ Come into the house, Peter,” said 
Mr. Reynolds. “ Have you found our 


LION LOST. 


75 


children ? ” inquired the two mothers, 
almost in unison, as Peter entered. 

“ No,” replied Peter. “But Pse foun’ 
de big black dog Lion, an’ he’s fiten wid 
mor’n a hundred dogs, in dat great damp 
lonely swamp, way back fram de meetin’ 
groun’ woods, whar de picnic wus.” 

“Found Lion in the marsh!” ex- 
claimed Mr. Reynolds. 

“ Yas, sah : in de marsh swamp, an’ da’s 
all a bayin’, an’ a barkin’ an’ a howlin’ an’ 
a snarlin’ like as ef de debil wus a stickin’ 
’em wid de red hot pitch fork to make 
’em keep at de fight till da all eat each 
udder up.” 

“ Its dreadful,” remarked Mrs. Rey- 
nolds to Mrs. Hand, “and that brave, 
noble dog was so fond of our children, par- 
ticularly of my little lost darling Harry. 

“Where’s my gun?” asked Mr. Rey- 
nolds of his wife. 

“ Why, in the closet in our room, where 
it has been standing since you went after 


76 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

those ducks on the beach last fall,” she 
replied. 

He ran up-stairs, got the gun and a 
belt full of cartridges, also a large loaded 
revolver, which he gave to .Mr. Hand, 
saying, “ Come, Hand, I am going to 
Lion’s rescue. Will you go with me ? ” 

“Certainly,” replied his friend. 

In a moment they were in the wagon 
from the farm, being driven by Peter to 
what he said was “ de biggest dog fight 
eber seen in de world.” 


CHAPTER VI. 


LION FOUND. 

It was ten o’clock when Mr. Reynolds 
and Mr. Hand left Lynn, with Peter, for 
Chelsea Woods, or rather, the marsh 
back of the woods, for that dismal look- 
ing swamp lay toward the town of Chel- 
sea, while the woods were nearest to the 
ocean, and in order to reach the marsh by 
the road, it was necessary to go through 
the woods. 

After their departure, Mrs. Hand, who 
had called during Peter’s random ride, 
sat in the parlor with Mrs. Reynolds and 
Miss Harland, and it was then that the 
two wretched mothers, no longer subject 
to the sustaining influence of their hus- 
bands, gave vent to their grief in a way 
pitiful to behold. All the endearing qual- 
77 


;8' THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

ities of little Cora Hand, who was only 
six years old, were discussed, as were those 
of Harry 'Reynolds, who was of the same 
age. Their recent photographs were 
fondly gazed upon, — that is as well as their 
mothers’ tear dimmed eyes could gaze on 
anything, — and every trifling incident in 
their childish lives was told again and 
again ; even Harry’s aunt,. Miss Anna 
Harland, wept from sympathy as she had 
not wept since her favorite nephew had 
been lost. 

This was the scene of woe that Mr. 
George Parker beheld, when, on seeing a 
light in the parlor, he rang the bell at 
that late hour, to ascertain if any good 
news had been heard, and to offer his 
services to assist in following any clew, 
or aid in any manner in the diligent 
search then in progress. Miss Anna 
went to the door, and in a moment Mr. 
Parker was in the parlor, discussing with 
them new plans for finding the children. 

While this conversation was taking 

CD 


LION FOUND. 


79 

place in Mr. Reynolds’ villa, that gentle- 
man and his two companions in the 
\vagon behind the fast mare Queen were 
rapidly approaching Chelsea Woods. 
On arriving at their destination, Peter 
stopped exactly where he had stopped be- 
fore, and all kept perfectly still and lis- 
tened : no sound was to be heard save the 
rustling of the leaves among the trees 
and the swash of the sea upon the 
beach. 

“ Mebbe he’s been killed by dis time,” 
remarked Peter. 

“ Hush,” said his companions. “What 
was that ? ' Listen ! ” 

The awe-inspiring, -soul stirring howl 
of a gigantic dog, — such a howl as when 
heard near a sick man’s chamber is said 
to announce his speedy death, was 
heard. 

“Yes, there it is again,” said Mr. 
Hand. 

“By Jupiter, that’s Lion’s voice! 
Hark ! he’s barking now as he always 


8o 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


does when he wishes to attract attention,” 
said Mr. Reynolds ; adding, ‘‘ Come 
Hand, come Peter, we’ll soon find him.” 

“No ’tank yoo, sah,” replied Peter. 

“ Pll stop right hyar an’ mind de mare, ef 
it’s all de same ; Pse feered ob dogs.” 

“ All right, Peter, you wait here,” said 
Mr. Reynolds. “ Come on. Hand.” 

They entered the woods which were 
rather dark, the trees almost obscuring 
the moonlight, and as they made their 
way the growls, and howls, and snarls of 
dogs grew near and nearer, until by 
eoinor in the direction whence the sounds 
came they seemed surrounded by 
them, above which, could be distinctly 
heard the voice of Lion, as if to guide 
them. Finally they paused upon a steep . 
bank at the far end of the woods, and as 
they looked down upon the marsh, be- 
held by the moon’s light a sight that was 
strange indeed. There, standing upon a 
great, smooth, high rock, was Lion, alter- 
nately barking, howling, and biting at 


LION FOUND. 


some one of more than twenty dogs as 
they in turn approached him from the 
complete circle of their fellows which 
surrounded him, like wolves around a 
wounded buffalo. Before Lion, upon the 
rock, there lay a confused mass of some- 
thing that he was guarding, but what it 
was they could not then discern, but they 
could see that several dogs lay dead upon 
the marsh. 

“ Lion, Lion, we are coming,” shouted 
Mr. Reynolds. Lion looked upon his 
master, and as he barked, he wagged his 
tail and howled for very joy. The other 
dogs started when they heard a human 
voice ; some growled, and then each 
sneaked away. In a few minutes more 
the two men had passed down the bank, 
and over the soggy ground of the marsh, 
and stood beside Lion, upon the. rock. 
Then it was that they beheld a sight 
that took the very courage from their 
souls, and made each feel with all a 


6 


82 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


father’s love how weak we are when once 
confronted with our fate. Upon the 
rock there lay a confused heap — the 
bodies of three children — theirs, and 
little Ida, murdered. Yes, all. Their 
throats were cut, like lambs that had 
been slaughtered for a sacrifice. ‘ 

The wretched fathers did not kneel 
and ask with streaming eyes the gods to 
blast with thunderbolts the owner of the 
hand that slew their babes, as fathers 
would have done in ancient Rome. Ah, 
no ! they simply fell upon the rock, upon 
their knees, and asked the Christian’s 
God what they had done in all their 
lives that he should thus afflict them. 
And then, in silence, gazed upon the 
faces of the dead, o’ershadowed by the 
moon’s uncertain light, as lying on that 
rock, all cold in death, they seemed like 
murdered angels. 

When they arose it was to see the no- 
ble dog, who had stood as faithful guard 
so long, dying from the cruel wounds his 


LION FOUND. 


83 


wolfish foes had made, in their mad rage 
to reach the bodies of the slain. Yes, 
such was the valiant fight this noble 
dog had made in the protection of his 
sacred, self-found charge, that while they 
looked upon his stalwart, jet black form, 
he, dying, licked his master’s hand and 
wagged his plume-like tail, and then, just 
as his glazing eyes had looked their last 
upon the slaughtered innocents, for 
whose dear sakes he gave his life, he 
died without a groan. 

“ Poor Lion ! he is indeed a hero,” 
Mr. Reynolds remarked to his compan- 
ion, who also arose and stood beside him 
near the body of the dog. 

“Yes, a noble, noble dog. Ah ! Rey- 
nolds, how much a man can learn from 
such a dog.” 

“ Yes,” replied Mr. Reynolds, “ how 
much indeed !— This is terrible ! ” he 
continued ; “ I fear my wife will become 
insane. Well, Hand, something must 
be done. Look ! those wolfish curs have 


84 the curse of marriage. 

come back. See them skulking in the 
grass ! ” He raised his gun and fired, 
and when the smoke had cleared away a 
yellow cur lay dead among the grasses 
of the marsh. “ Hand,” he said, “ use the 
revolver.” He. did so and the dogs fled, 
yelping, in a pack. 

“ They are gone at last, thank Heav- 
en ! ” said Reynolds. “ And now some- 
thing must be done, and at once. I 
know the law ; we must not touch the 
children’s bodies until the coroner has 
been summoned, and has seen them. 
You had better stay here. Yes, keep the 
gun and cartridge belt,” said he, handing 
them to Mr. Hand, “and I will take the 
revolver, and go at once to Lynn with 
Peter and report at police headquarters.” 

“ Very well,, you know best,” sadly re- 
plied Mr. Hand. 

Mr. Reynolds went back through the 
dismal woods, and when he had reached 
the wagon it was empty ; Peter had dis- 
appeared. “Where can that negro be?” 


LION FOUND. 85 

he murmured to himself. Then he 

called, “ Peter ! Peter, where are you ?” 

Hyar I am, in ambush,” said Peter’s 
voice. 

“ But where?” inquired Mr. Reynolds. 

“ Hyar, sah, up dis hyar tree,” replied 
Peter. 

“ Come down. What did you go up 
there for ? ” 

“ Why de dogs, sah. I wus sitten in 
de wagon kind ob dozzen like, whan I 
heered de awfulist noise and seed ’bout 
fifty snarlin’ dogs in a pack cornin’ in de 
middle ob de road, an’ I jes got outen 
dat wagon, sah, an’ dumb right up hyar, 
out ob de way ob dem. Dey reminded 
me ob de stories Pd hearn tell ’bout de 
packs ob wolves.” 

“ Well, come right down, they are all 
gone now.” ‘‘ Peter,” he continued, as 
Peter got into the wagon beside him, 
“ we have found all the children and 
Lion. They are dead.” 


86 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


“ De’d ! ” echoed Peter, as he nearly 
fell off the seat of the wagon. 

‘‘Yes: all three children dead. Mur- 
dered, Peter, and Lion died from 
wounds received while defending their 
dead bodies from the pack of dogs you 
saw upon the road.” 

“ De good Lawd sabe us all !” and that 
was all that Peter said. 

They drove in silence to Lynn, di- 
rectly to police headquarters, where Mr. 
Reynolds, with tears in his eyes, reported 
his awful discovery, and then asked for 
pen, ink, and paper. When he had 
written to his wife, to say, he would not, 
in all probability, return before morning, 
he handed the letter to Peter, whom he 
directed to give it to his wife, but not to 
speak of the . children being dead, or in 
fact to say anything about them, as he 
had not done so in the letter. He also 
told Peter that after he had delivered the 
letter to go home to Mrs. Smith’s farm 
at once. 


LION FOUND. 


8 ; 


After Peters departure, Mr. Reynolds 
left police headquarters and went to the 
Rev. David Williams’ residence, and in- 
formed that gentleman that he and Mr. 
Hand had found the dead bodies of 
the three children. The clergyman was 
deeply moved, and ordered a carriage at 
once, so that he could return with Mr. 
Reynolds to the scene of the murder, 
•stopping on the way, however, for Mr. 
Nathan Johnston, the Sunday-school 
superintendent, who accompanied them 
to the dismal marsh, where Mr. Hand 
was guarding the beloved dead. 

They had no sooner arrived there than 
the officers detailed from the station, and 
the coroner, with a hastily-summoned 
jury, also stopped their carriages, and 
tying their horses to the fence near the 
woods, all entered that gloomy copse, 
proceeding at once in the direction of 
the marsh. Mr. Hand stated that no 
dogs had returned since Mr. Reynolds’ 
departure, and that he had heard no 


88 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


sounds during his lonely vigil save those 
of the sea beating on the beach, and the 
rustling of the leaves upon trees as 
they swayed in the midnight air. 

The coroner at once viewed the bod- 
ies, and the verdict of the jury was that 
the deceased children had come to their 
death by the hands of a person or per- 
sons unknown. Three officers were left 
in charge until the undertaker should 
arrive, which he did toward morning, 
and at half an hour past midnight, the 
heart-broken fathers and their sympa- 
thizing friends returned to Lynn. 

Who can paint the awful grief that 
tore those wretched parents’ very souls, 
as homeward they took the saddest jour- 
ney of their lives! No man. Then let 
us hope that the kind and soothing 
words uttered by their clergyman as he 
sat beside them in the carriage, at least 
prompted them to think if not to say : 
“ Oh, God ! Thy will be done.” 


CHAPTER VIL 


THREE ANGELS. 

It was late that night when Mr. 
George Parker bade Miss Anna Harland 
and Mrs. Reynolds good night, and 
escorted Mrs. Hand to her home, which 
was only a few blocks distant. After 
having performed this little act of cour- 
tesy the young man went at once to his 
father’s house, and shortly afterward 
retired. He was unmarried, of excellent 
habits, and his friends had more than 
once intimated that he was very much in 
love with the beautiful Anna Harland, as 
charming a young lady, by the way, as 
one could meet anywhere. 

She was a tall, stately creature, so very 
graceful, and possessing so much affabil- 
ity as to render her one of the most con- 
89 


90 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

genial of companions, and endear her 
sooner or later to all with whom she 
came in contact, whether as only ^a 
teacher in the Sunday-school of Pastor 
Williams’ Presbyterian Church, or as a 
sincere Christian worker in the charitable 
societies of Lynn, where her presence 
and co-operation always assured the suc- 
cess of the good work in which the mem- 
bers were engaged. 

And she was as charming in appear- 
ance as in mind and manner her regu- 
lar features, light brown hair, and bluish 
gray eyes, being in perfect harmony with 
a clear, pale complexion, which in ear- 
nest conversation, was often heightened 
by the faintest possible blush, which 
gave just sufficient tone to the perfect 
picture of womanhood she presented as 
to make her appear more lovely in the 
eyes of all who saw her, whether they 
had the honor of her acquaintance or 
only admired her at a distance. As a 
perfect type of an American girl, born 


THREE ANGELS. 9 1 

and brought up in Boston, of twenty 
years of age, Anna was in every way 
entirely worthy of the adoration of her 
friends, the admiration of strangers, and 
the love of George Parker. 

George Parker too was handsome, not 
of that showy type that all the women of 
the town endeavor to entangle in the 
meshes of their nets, to gratify the pleas- 
ures of their vile, licentious lives, but of 
that true and manly type of beauty that 
attracts an honest man as well as those 
true Christian women whose lives have 
not a sinofle taint connected with their 
names ; who being known on sight as far 
above reproach, escape that viper of our 
social life, known everywhere as slander. 

George, like Anna, had brown hair, 
though it was of a darker shade. He 
wore a brown moustache, had eyes that 
were dark blue, was tall and straight, 
and something of an athlete, besides be- 
ing a daring rider. He and Anna often 
rode on horseback in Lynn and the 


92 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

surrounding country, and frequently on 
Chelsea Beach, where when accompanied 
by Lion, that brave Newfoundland dog 
who had given his life to save the bodies 
of the slain, they made a picture that lin- 
gers yet within the memory of their 
friends. 

It was long after midnight when the 
weary fathers reached their respective 
homes, and broke the fearful tidings to 
their wives. Both mothers wept at first, 
and then their lamentations ceased, and 
each sat mute and speechless as if bereft 
of reason. And when the morning sun 
arose upon another day, as beautiful and 
bright as that when on the picnic gath- 
ered in the woods, all nature smiled and 
showered upon the heads of all her 
bounteous blessings ; the wife of Mr, 
Reynolds was indeed deranged, and Mrs. 
Hand was suffering from convulsions. 

At nine o’clock in the morning Mrs. 
Smith and Sarah Watson drove to Lynn 
to inquire if any news had been heard of 


THREE ANGELS. 


93 


little Ida, for Peter had not told them 
anything, and they then were told the 
dreadful truth concerning her sad fate. 
The suffering mother fainted dead upon 
the floor, and Sarah went into, what the 
doctor who was called, pronounced hys- 
terics. 

The only woman who retained her self- 
possession on hearing of the sad fate of 
the children, was Anna. It is true she 
wept and wept again, but, being sus- 
tained in her sorrow by her belief in, and 
reliance on, the Almighty, she did not 
give way to grief as all the other women 
had done, but was given strength by 
faith to be in truth the guardian angel 
of two suffering households, where she 
tried, and not altogether in vain, to 
soothe the almost broken hearts of both 
fathers, and to administer to* the neces- 
sary comforts of her sister and Mrs. 
Hand, who were mental and physical 
wrecks. 

H ow merciful it is in God to allow in 


94 'I'HE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

all kinds of human suffering some ray of 
angelic sunshine to fall providentially 
upon the tortured souls of poor, weak, 
suffering humanity ! And the reason 
that Mrs. Reynolds and Mrs. Hand were 
so prostrated by their grief was perfectly 
plain to all who knew them intimately. 
Neither of them had Christian faith, 
and lacking that, lacked grace to say, 
Thy will be done,” much less to even 
think it without expressing it in words. 
They both were members of Pastor Wil- 
liams’ church it is true, but only because 
they considered it good form to be 
known as members with their husbands, 
who had both become members to 
advance their own financial interests in 
the communities where their business 
undoubtedly prospered in consequence. 

Mr. James Reynolds, the Boston law- 
yer, took every advantage to make 
money out of his clients in what the 
world at large considers an honest way. 
For instance he would delay the settle- 


THREE ANGELS. 


95 


ment of estates as long as he could 
gather in fresh fees from the heirs, on 
any pretext whatsoever. He would go 
to merchants financially embarrassed and 
get them to assign their business to 
him, so that he could settle with the 
creditors for fifty per cent., which, when 
they had agreed to, he would call a 
special private meeting of the creditors 
and arrange to pay them only forty per 
cent., and then when he had paid them, 
would put the other ten per cent, in his 
own pocket out of the assets, and all 
parties would be satisfied. The bank- 
rupt merchants never learned the truth, 
as the creditors kept silent through 
shame to think they got so little, and 
Mr. Reynolds was wise in the ways of 
the world and held his tongue. Yes, he 
was a “smart man.” For he got heavy 
fees for his services besides the extra ten 
per cent. 

And so it was with Mr. Thomas Hand 
in his extensive shoe factory, where he 


96 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

employed so many women and girls. 
He paid as small wages as he could get 
them to work for. The younger girls, 
he argued, lived with their parents and 
had no board to pay, — how could they 
pay board from the pittance they re- 
ceived from him? — and he said most of 
the women in his place had husbands, or 
brothers, or friends who assisted them. 
To a very pretty girl who had been in his 
employ three months, he once said when 
she asked for higher wages, complaining 
that she could live no longer on what she 
then received : — 

“ My dear, if you are not smart enough 
to wear fine clothes when there are so 
many men with money in the town of 
Lynn, I pity you. I will not raise your 
wages, for if you leave I can get a 
‘ smart girl ’ in your place for less than 
I pay you.” 

Oh, they were both “smart men,” rich 
men, and lived in elegant residences in 
the beautiful town of Lynn. To have 


THREE ANGELS. 


97 


questioned the honesty or honor of 
either would have been considered due 
to the gross ignorance or total depravity 
of the man witli doubts. Yes, these men 
were shining lights in the Presbyterian 
Church, always paid all their debts 
promptly, were good neighbors, and at 
this time the most wretched fathers, for 
they had fathers’ hearts and were just as 
capable of suffering as the poorest. 

Mrs. Smith and Sarah Watson were 
finally restored to consciousness, and 
kindly cared for by Chief Taggart’s wife, 
in the chief’s little cottage near the 
station, where they remained in seclusion 
until after the funeral of the children, 
which had been arranged for that same 
day, because the bodies had been ex- 
posed to the elements so long that it 
was not deemed advisable to delay their 
burial. The three distracted mothers 
never saw the poor distorted faces of 
their dead, and it was better so. Mrs. 
Smith, instead of burying Ida in the 
7 


98 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

Smith family’s lot near the farm, con- 
sented that her darling’s ashes should 
rest beside the ashes of Cora and Harry, 
in a lot adjoining those of Mr. Reynolds 
and Mr. Hand, a deed of which was sub- 
sequently given her by those gentlemen. 
And it was when the sun was setting on 
that dreadful day, that the white coffins 
of those slaughtered cherubims were 
lowered in the earth to rest forever. 

And Lion was buried beside the rock 
on which he gave his life to save the 
body of his master’s son, and his statue 
in bronze perpetuates the memory of his 
fidelity. 


(From his Statue iu Bronze.) 



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CHAPTER VIII. 


A DISCOVERY. 

To say that the excitement had been 
intense in Lynn on the day of the triple 
funeral would be indeed a mild term. It 
had been tremendous. The faces of the 
dead had not been seen, however, except 
by Mr. Johnston, Rev. David Williams, 
Mr. Hand^ Mr. Reynolds, and several 
physicians, including the leading medical 
man of Lynn, Dr. Bolton. They all 
agreed that the children’s throats had 
been cut with a very sharp instrument, 
presumably a razor. 

The coffins had been taken direct from 
the undertaker’s to the Presbyterian 
Church, where a most touching address 
was delivered by Rev. David Williams, 
^ and the little scholars of the Sunday- 
99 


100 


THE CURSE OF 'MARRIAGE. 


school afterward sang two favorite 
hymns. 

The church of course had been 
crowded ; many wept aloud, and several 
women fainted. Not one of the three 
utterly crushed mothers had been able 
to be present, nor had Sarah Watson. 
Anna Harland attended the funeral, 
dressed in deep mourning, and wept as if 
her loving heart would break. 

The scene at the graves was sad 
beyond expression. It seemed against 
the nature of life itself, to hide forever 
in the earth those human blossoms torn 
from their parent trees, while men and 
women with aged forms, with silvered 
heads and palsied hands, stood there in 
health and threw fresh flowers into those 
little graves. But, so it. was, and so it 
ever will be. Death comes first or last 
in youth or age, and comes when least 
expected, when we are least prepared 
and often in unheard of and most horrid 
forms. 


A DISCOVERY. lOI 

The day after the obsequies, Mr. 
Hand, Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Johnston, 
and Mr. George Parker visited the marsh 
to endeavor to find a clew to the perpe- 
trator of the heinous crime. First they 
examined Chelsea Woods, and discov- 
ered that at their far end, toward East 
Boston, there was a narrow passage way, 
almost hidden among the bushes and 
trees, leading directly into the marsh, 
where it • could be entered without de- 
scending the rather steep bank already 
described, because the woods had a grad- 
ual slope in that direction. 

George Parker was the first to notice 
this passage way under the bushes, and 
having called the attention of the others 
to it, they entered the marsh by it 
instead of by descending the bank as 
heretofore : and then commenced a most 
rigid examination. 

Their self-imposed task was a most 
unpleasant one. Lion, it is true, had 
been buried by Mr. Reynolds’ coachman, 


102 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


beside the rock, but the decaying car- 
casses of the dogs he had killed in his 
valiant fight, and the one Mr. Reynolds’ 

had shot, made the air most offensive, for 

♦ 

they were decaying fast beneath the tor- 
rid rays of an August sun, aided greatly 
by the moisture of the marsh which their 
carcasses absorbed. 

Notwithstanding their disadvantages, 
a thorough examination was made of 
every stone, and stump, and tree, upon 
the marsh, — yes, even of the surface of the 
marsh itself, so determined were all to 
solve the mystery and bring the perpetra- 
tor of the crime to justice. 

They went to the rock where the bod- 
ies had lain and discovered splotches of 
blood upon its smooth gray surface. 
This rock was remarkable in appearance 
and formation. Toward the woods it 
rose to a height of fully five feet, declin- 
ing in the opposite direction until its sur- 
face was only a foot from the mar^h. It 
was what is known as a boulder ; had 


A DISCOVERY. 


103 


evidently been round or nearly so at one 
time, but some great convulsion of 
nature had split it, giving to the remain- 
ing portion its singular formation. Be- 
ing fully five feet in diameter. Lion had 
found it a most impregnable fortress 
from which to defend his self-found, pre- 
cious charges. 

It was apparent to all that Lion had 
dragged the bodies to the rock and 
placed them just as they lay when found. 
But the question was where had Lion 
found them ? Upon the marsh, in the 
narrow passage way under the bushes, or 
in the woods. 

“ Certainly they were not murdered in 
the woods,” said Mr. Reynolds, “for 
Lion could not have gotten them down 
the bank, nor dragged them so far as it 
is by the passage way under the bushes.” 

“ No, and even if he could have 
dragged them that distance,” remarked 
George Parker, “he could not have 
gotten them through those thick bushes 


104 CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

in the passage way. I say, most posi- 
tively, that the poor dear little children 
were not dragged by Lion from the 
v^oodsvm the passage way, but must have 
been murdered somewhere here upon 
the marsh ; but the exact spot I fear will 
never be known, because that terrible 
storm in which their bodies were exposed 
so long to the rain has washed away all 
stains of the blood and destroyed all 
traces of the crime.” 

“ That’s so, Parker — I mean what you 
say about the blood bein’ all washed 
away ; there’s not a sign of blood to be 
seen on the grass or anywhere except 
on the surface of the rock,” remarked 
Mr. Hand. 

‘‘Oh,” replied Mr. Reynolds, “that 
blood upon the rock was shed by my brave 
dog, after the storm ; it was flowing from 
a number of wounds when we found him. 
Just think how nobly he fought ! Twenty 
to one, if there was a single dog at him. 
Why, look there,” said he, counting as he 


A DISCOVERY. 


io5 

spoke, “ there are six dead dogs, all killed 
by him ; the seventh I shot. Why, Lion 
must have been here since just after the 
storm. Of this I am positive, because he 
was lying on my piazza during the after- 
noon, watching and waiting for the chil- 
dren to return. He was in my library 
when the storm was raging, and we 
were all there, too, my wife, my sons, 
Thomas and Charles, and all talking 
about Harry having been lost in Chelsea 
Woods. Lion lay there and looked at us 
with his great intelligent brown eyes, and 
my wife patted his head, and said, ‘ Poor 
Lion, your little master Harry is lost/ and 
that was all she said. 

“ The dog looked at her and whined ; 
we went to the parlor and left him in the 
hall. He escaped from the house when 
Hand and I started to drive up to the 
old Smith farm to ascertain whether little 
Ida Smith had been found. In a most 
mysterious manner. Lion came to this 
very spot.” - ' 


ro6 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


“My theory about it is this, Mr. Rey- 
nolds,” said George Parker. 

“Well, go ahead,” said the others. 

“ Well, then,” said Parker, “ in the 
first, place, Lion was one of the most 
intelligent dogs in the United States. 
He understood all that was said to him, 
and would to my personal knowledge 
often do things that he thought he 
should do, and do them too without be- 
ing told. He had been six years in Mr. 
Reynolds’ family, having been sent from 
Newfoundland to Boston when only one 
month old. Well, when he heard that 
Harry was lost in Chelsea Woods, he 
took the first opportunity to start for 
that woods, which was, as Mr. Reynolds 
says, when he and Mr. Hand started to 
drive to the old Smith farm, for that was 
when Lion certainly got out of the house. 
Now, then, remember the storm was about 
over at that time. Was it not, Mr. 
Hand?” 

“ It may have been rainin’ just a little. 


A DISCOVERY. 


io;7 

but the storm had broken,” replied that 
gentleman. 

“ Well,” continued Parker, “ Lion 
started for the woods, — and, mind you, he 
knew where the woods were perfectly well. 
Why you could send that dog anywhere, 
within five or six miles of Lynn, and he 
would go with a basket, or a bundle, and 
return in safety. Yes, he started for the 
woods to hunt for his little master, whom 
he had heard was lost, and after search- 
ing the woods, entered the marsh by that 
little passage way over there, almost hid- 
den by those bushes and high grasses, 
and it was then that he found his young 
master’s dead body upon the marsh, and 
it was then that he also found little Cora 
Hand’s body and the body of little Ida 
Smith. When he had found them it must 
have been nearly ten o’clock that night.” 

“Yes, that’s so,” interrupted Mr. Rey- 
nolds, “ because we left the Smith farm 
at nearly ten o’clock, and had only been 


io8 


THE CURSE OF xMARRIAGE. 


there fifteen or twenty minutes when we 
started to return.” 

“ Now, you see,” continued Parker, 
“ that the children in all probability had 
been dead since late that afternoon, and 
it was, if you all remember, a very hot 
day, culminating in that fearful thunder- 
storm. Well, the children’s bodies had 
lain in the sun and then had been out in 
the storm, and attracted by the subtle 
odor arising from them, too subtle to be 
perceived by a man, so soon after death, 
those scavenger curs of the streets of 
Lynn and other towns in this vicinity, 
came here in a pack to feast upon them. 
Lion heard them coming, howling as 
they came like wolves, and it was then 
that he dragged the body of Harry to 
the rock, and then dragged the other 
bodies there and placed them beside 
Harry’s, because he recognized them as 
his little dead master’s dead friends. 
And when the pack arrived, eager for 
their moonlight feast of human flesh, he, 


A DISCOVERY. 


109 

hero that he was, defended his sacred 
charge for that entire night? all the next 
day and part of the following night, 
going without food and water himself, 
barking and baying and howling, prob- 
ably all the time, and killing as many of 
the curs as charged him on his pedestal ; 
where finally the noble creature yielded 
up his life from wounds and sheer ex- 
haustion, just as he had won the victory, 
just as his master came to his rescue. 
Was there ever such a dog? I tell you, 
no man could tell how much Lion knew. 
He could do almost everything but talk, 
and yet it is said there is no hereafter for 
any living thing that dies, but man. I 
for one do not believe it. I cannot 
believe it, for if the lowest, vilest man 
exists in another world after dying in 
this one, why should not such a dog as 
Lion?” 

They were all silent. No one spoke 
for some time, for so clear had been Par- 
ker’s statement of the known facts, that 


I lO 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


no one could say that his whole theory 
might not be true. Indeed it must have 
been as the young man said, in regard to 
the murder, as it was the only explana- 
tion in accordance with the known facts. 
All the persons had listened attentively, 
and now could only gaze at each other in 
silence. 

Finally, Mr. Jolyiston suggested that 
they climb the bank at a point directly 
opposite the rock, which was about fifty 
yards distant. They all did so and sat 
upon the grass among the trees in Chel- 
sea Woods, which was far more agreeable 
than being upon the marsh in the sun ; 
and as the breeze was blowing from the 
sea they could no longer smell the putre- 
fying bodies of the dogs. 

While they were sitting in the woods, 
talking over the several possible motives 
for the crime,.among which that of the 
theory that the children had been mur- 
dered .by an insane, or supposed to be 
insane, tramp, received the greatest ere- 


A DISCOVERY. 


1 1 1 

dence, George Parker called their at- 
tention to the very distinct circle around 
the rock, which circle had been made by 
the tramping down of the rank grasses of 
the marsh by the pack of scavenger curs 
as they walked, and ran, and lay down to 
rest, or sat down to howl in dismal dis- 
cord, while besieging Lion on his strong- 
hold. '‘We could not notice it while 
on the marsh but now, at this distance, 
it is distinct,” he said. 

“ And see,” said Mr. Hand, as he 
walked toward the bank, “ from this very 
bank are three distinct marks upon the 
grasses of the marsh, showin’ that some- 
thin’ has been dragged toward the rock 
from the bottom of this bank.” 

Mr. Johnston now went to the edge 
and looked over, as did Mr. Reynolds 
and George Parker. 

“ It is all clear now,” remarked Mr. 
Reynolds ; “ the murders were committed 
on the marsh as Parker said, the children 
having descended at this point, and 


1 12 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

those marks upon the marsh, which we 
can only observe from here, are the 
marks make by their poor dead bodies 
when Lion dragged them to that natural 
f6rt when he heard the curs coming in 
the distance.” 

“ Yes, that is it. That must be the 
truth concerning the sad affair,” sadly 
remarked Mr. Johnston. 

‘‘What was that?” asked George 
Parker, in a hoarse whisper, springing to 
his feet. 

“ What was what ? ” asked all. 

“ Why, did you not all see something 
at the hole in that tree, only about ten 
feet from here ? ” 

“ No,” they replied in unison. 

“Well, I did, or else I saw some one 
dodge behind the tree ; I don’t know 
which. My curiosity is aroused, and I 
am going to see what it was,” said he, 
arising from the ground and going 
toward a large oak that had a hole in 
its. trunk about three feet from the 


A DISCOVERY. 


II3 

ground. The others did not rise, but 
simply looked at Parker and at the hole 
in a most indifferent manner. 

When Parker got to the tree, he 
walked around it and then peered into 
the hole, but could not see anything, as 
all was dark within. He took his cane 
and poked it around inside the hole, up 
and down, until It struck something soft, 
when Instantly out ran a large red squir- 
rel, almost jumping In his face in its 
fright, and as they were all watching it, 
it ran up a neighboring tree. 

Parker remarked, I told you I saw 
something go Into that hole. I wonder 
if it has young ones in there ? ” Saying 
this he put in his hand and when he 
pulled it out, held an open clasp knife 
on whose blade was clotted blood. Great 
was the amazement of them all as Parker 
turned toward where they now were 
standing. Holding up the knife, he 
exclaimed In a broken voice, ‘‘By Jove! 
it is the weapon of the murderer! Now 


1 14 the curse of marriage. 

all is plain ; the children were killed in 
the woods, their bodies thrown down the 
bank into the marsh, and then the mur- 
derer hid his knife in that hole and 
e'scaped. And see, upon the hardwood 
handle are%cut two letters, P. M.” The 
rest were speechless. 


CHAPTER IX. 


THE OWNER OF THE KNIFE. 

When George Parker and the rest 
reached Lynn behind Mr. Reynolds’ 
spirited pair of sorrels, it was twelve 
o’clock noon. They went at once to the 
police station, where the result of their 
patient investigation waS' reported to 
Chief Taggart, with whom the bloody 
knife was left, as the only article they 
had found that might identify the mur- 
derer. 

Mr. Hand went home at once, as did 
all the others. When he arrived at his 
residence, Mrs. Hand was still confined 
to her bed, and in a very weak condition, 
though she had not had a return of the 
convulsions. Dr. Bolton was of the 
opinion, however, that she would have an 

115 


I 1 6 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

attack — a serious attack — of brain fever, 
and had already been twice to see her 
since early in the morning. He ordered 
that she be kept in a state of absolute 
quietude, and that no persons were to 
see her but members of her immediate 
family, with the exception of Anna Har- 
land. These orders were strictly obeyed, 
notwithstanding the fact that many 
friends and neighbors called to offer their 
assistance and express their sympathy. 

Mrs. Reynolds was in a wretched con- 
dition when her husband returned. She 
was still deranged, only more violently 
than she had been at any time since her 
terrible affliction. Anna was with her 
when Mr. Reynolds entered the room 
and had to call a servant to assist her 
in holding her demented sister, who 
attempted to fly at her husband’s throat 
to strangle him, she said, for like many 
deranged persons, she was far more vio- 
lent toward some members of the family 
than toward any stranger, Anna being 


THE OWNER OF THE KNIFE. II7 

really the only one of the family who 
had the slightest controlling influence 
over her. While held by her sister and 
the servant, she raved in a most fearful 
manner, accusing her husband of having 
killed their little Harry. 

She said he had taken his gun to 
shoot Tnad dogs at midnight, and while 
hunting them, had met little Harry play- 
ing oj Chelsea Beach in the sand, and 
had shot him through the heart, out of 
pure jealousy and disappointment that 
he had not been born a girl instead of a 
boy. This was a fearful state of things. 
Her sorrow-stricken husband could stand 
it no longer, and left the room. Then 
she became more composed, and finally 
relapsed into a melancholy state, and 
when induced to allow herself to be un- 
dressed and put to bed, she first picked 
at the bed-spread, as sometimes do the 
dying, and then while her attendants 
were not looking, bounded from the bed 
and would have thrown herself from the 


Il8 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

window, if they had not most fortunately 
prevented the catastrophe. 

Dr. Bolton, who was also the family 
physician of the Reynolds, was in de- 
spair, and had already informed Mr. 
Reynolds, that unless her violence 
ceased, and he feared it would not, it 
would be necessary to send her to an 
asylum where she could be constantly 
watched and treated by physiciar^ who 
made diseases of the brain a specialty. 
It was the only hope, -he stated, and also 
gave them all to understand that as she 
was afflicted with suicidal mania in a 
most acute form, she required constant 
watching. The elegant villa of Mr. 
Reynolds was also besieged with visitors 
who, in the kindest and most earnest 
manner, offered their sympathy and 
their services. 

At the old Smith farm on this same 
day all was in confusion. Mrs. Smith 
had been confined to her bed since her 
return from Lynn, and Sarah Watson 


THE OWNER OF THE KNIFE. 1 19 

had given her so many morphine pow- 
ders that she was all but dead. Many of 
the nearest neighbors had called, and 
among them Mr. Isaac Pratt, who was 
now a widower and an old friend of Sam 
Smith’s. Pratt had kindly attended to 
the farm affairs and superintended all 
that required immediate attention, see- 
ing that Peter fed the horses and cattle, 
and that Charles Watson took proper 
care of the sheep, about a hundred of 
which were kept constantly on hand in 
the meadow near the fold, to supply the 
demands of customers in the old Boyles- 
ton Market. 

Little John did not seem to grieve for 
his sister and did not do anything but 
play about the house. He seemed to be 
rather a careless boy, without any par- 
ticular inclination to attempt to do ought 
but collect birds’ eggs and run short 
errands, when sent by Sarah Watson, 
who was in constant attendance on her 
“baby,” as she called Mrs. Smith, who 


120 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


for SO long had been almost entirely 
subject to her superior will power as to 
be literally but a baby in her hands. 

While Sarah was alone in the kitchen 
after dinner, Pratt entered, and inquired 
how Mrs. Smith was. 

“ Oh ! she is still sleepin’, thank you, 
Mr. Pratt. Won’t you sit down ? I feel 
so lonely in this old house with no one to 
talk to. Sit down, do, and make your- 
self perfectly at home. There’s nobody 
down-stairs but me.” 

Mr. Pratt sat down, and Sarah, who 
was kneading dough for bread when he 
entered, kept on kneading, an operation 
that showed the beauty of her white 
arms to great advantage, for the sleeves 
of her loose red wrapper were rolled 
nearly to her shoulders. 

Sarah Watson, it must be remembered, 
was a woman of striking appearance, and 
about twenty-eight years of age. She 
had a voluptuous form, black hair and 
eyes, and a dead-white complexion ; and 


THE OWNER OF THE KNIFE 


121 


being more than ordinarily attractive, it 
is not to be wondered at that Pratt ob- 
served her appearance closely. While he 
sat looking at her and mentally noting all 
her good physical points, as men always 
do, be they clergymen or laymen, 
Charles Mason, the boy who had charge 
of the sheep, entered the kitchen and 
said : 

“ Mrs. Watson, to-morrow will be mar- 
ket day ; who, is to sell the mutton ? ” 

‘‘ I do not know,” replied Sarah. “ I 
cannot, and Peter cannot sell mutton or 
anything. Nor will he ever eat mutton. 
I suppose because sheep and negroes 
both have wool,” she added, as she 
winked at Isaac Pratt. 

Pratt smiled, and remarked that he 
would continue to look after the stall 
until Mrs.' Smith had sufficiently re- 
covered from her nervous prostration to 
attend to business, for which offer Sarah 
thanked him and resumed her kneading. 
John, who had come down from his 


122 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


mother’s room a short time before, now 
left the kitchen and returned with 
Charles Mason to the sheepfold, and 
shortly afterward Pratt left the house 
vto see Peter kill the sheep in the slaugh- 
ter-house, which stood down in a hollow 
near a small creek that flowed into a. 
larger one, that finally emptied into the 
sea. 

It was now about three o’clock in the 
afternoon. Sarah had long since finished 
kneading her dough, and was upstairs 
in Mrs. Smith’s room, sitting on the side 
of the bed, fanning the invalid, when the 
clatter of a horse’s hoofs was heard on 
the road, and when the gallop at which he 
was coming suddenly ceased at the gate, 
Sarah ran down-stairs and went to the 
front door. A young man had dis- 
mounted from a beautiful black stallion, 
all flecked with foam, so rapidly had he 
been ridden. Ge'orge Parker, for it was 
he, tied his horse to the fence and came 
up the walk, and introducing himself to 


THE OWNER OF THE KNIFE. I23 

Sarah, asked how the invalid was, and 
then after some little conversation with 
her in the parlor, stated that he had 
found the knife the murderer had used. 
He then described the knife very 
accurately, as to workmanship and the 
letters P. M., cut into the hardwood 
handle, and when he had finished, Sarah 
Watson’s bright black eyes seemed both 
ablaze, as jumping from her chair she 
clutched his arm and whispered, 

“ Heaven and Earth I I know the 
murderer.’' 


CHAPTER X. 


THE ARREST. 

That same afternoon Parker dis- 
mounted at police headquarters in Lynn, 
and asked for a private interview with 
Chief Taggart, which was granted at 
once. He then told the chief what 
Sarah Watson had whispered to him in 
the kitchen of the old house. It was 
simply that the knife described by him, 
and which he had found in the hollow in 
the oak in Chelsea Woods, belonged to 
Peter, the ugly negro in the employ of 
Mrs. Smith, and that his full name was 
Peter Morris, his initials, P. M., being on 
the handle. 

Before evening two detectives in cit- 
izens’ dress had arrested Peter Morris at 
the farm, and that night he lodged in a 
124 • 


THE ARREST. 


125 


cell beside Julius Caesar Washington, 
who was released the next day, and was 
never seen afterward in Lynn. 

Peter had gone with the officers with- 
out making any protest, and when they 
endeavored to get him to talk about the 
murder, replied that he knew nothing 
about it, and continued to maintain a 
dogged silence. After being confined a 
few days, an indictment for murder was 
found against him by the grand jury, and 
he was removed to a stronger prison, his 
trial being set for October 15. 

The excitement in Lynn and through- 
out New England was intense. Hundreds 
and hundreds of curious persons came to 
Lynn to gratify a morbid desire in gazing 
upon the murderer of the children. A 
special guard was kept at the prison, for 
threats of lynching him had been freely 
made. 

In the mean time Mrs. Reynolds had 
become so violent that it was necessary 
to send her to an asylum for the insane, 


126 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


leaving Anna Harland in charge of her 
brother-in-law’s beautiful villa, where she 
gave her attention to the household 
duties and devoted much of her spare 
time to her little nephews Thomas and 
Charles, whose brother Harry they hoped 
would some day be found, for at their 
age they did not realize what death really 
was, and as they had not been permitted 
to see his poor mutilated body they 
could not believe that he was really gone, 
and consequently never shed tears or 
manifested any sorrow for his loss. 

At Mr. Hand’s residence things were in 
about the same state. His wife had 
recovered sufficiently to be wheeled 
about in an invalid’s chair, where she 
sat paralyzed. She could not use any 
of her limbs, but managed to make her- 
self understood by mumbling in a way 
that was painful to hear. Her daughter 
Clara being twelve years old, was her 
poor mother’s constant attendant. Flora, 


THE ARREST. 


127 


the other daughter, being but eight, was 
of little service, except as a companion. 

The two girls were exceeding pretty, 
both had dark eyes and golden hair, as 
had their dear little sister Cora, who was 
six years old the day before she was mur- 
dered. 

It is singular how grief affects different 
persons whose temperaments are unlike 
or even similar. It drives some mad, 
some it so affects that their nerves give 
way, and others seem to be so impregna- 
ble to all the finer feelings of the human 
race, that nothing has the slightest effect 
upon them, and even when they are 
dying from the result of some fearful 
accident they remain the same enigmas to 
their friends and relatives, by maintaining 
their habitual stolid exterior. 

During this period both fathers attended 
to their business, and seemed to fiiid 
relief in constant employment from those 
harrowings of the mind that women 
generally suffer from under similar mental 


128 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

conditions. And it is no wonder that 
women so often suffer more from grief 
than men, for they are less employed, and 
consequently have more time to feel 
those tortures of the soul when loved 
ones die. Still, even a casual observer 
could detect in the dark eyes of Mr. Rey- 
nolds, in his haggard aspect, and in the 
hopeless, helpless looks of Mr. Hand 
that, notwithstanding their business cares 
and mingling with mankind, the cruel 
wounds made in their fathers’ hearts had 
not yet healed. 

During the time that elasped between 
the discovery of the murderer and his 
trial, Anna Harland and George Parker 
were often seen together on the streets, 
at Pastor Williams’ church, and Parker 
was a frequent caller at Mr. Reynolds’ 
villa, where in the evening he could fre- 
quently be seen seated with Anna, Mr. 
Reynolds, and his sons, upon the piazza, 
until bed-time, when Anna would go with 
him to the gate, when, after a few mo- 


THE ARREST. 


129 


ments earnest conversation with her, he 
would take his departure after squeezing 
her hand, seemingly a happy, hopeful 
man. 

Their friends all hoped that it would 
be a match. And why not ? Anna was 
over twenty, and her parents had left her 
about ten thousand dollars, the interest 
of which supplied all her wants. George 
Parker s parents were rich, and he would 
be some day. He was only twenty-three, 
and was studying law in Mr. Reynolds’ 
office in Boston. So his future seemed 
to be assured, as far as the wants of man 
are concerned when brought in contact 
with the world. 

However, he was ambitious to go to 
the war. His patriotism led him in that 
direction, but his parents objected, and 
Anna, who had great influence over him, 
objected too. At any rate he was com- 
pelled to remain in Lynn until after the 
trial of Peter Morris, the indicted mur- 
derer of the children. And as he was a 


9 


130 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

very important witness for the common- 
wealth it would have been impossible for 
him to have gone to the front even if all 
the persons interested in his welfare had 
consented. 

Under the careful nursing of Sarah 
Watson, Mrs. Smith continued to gain 
in strength, but had not left the house 
as yet. Mr. Pratt, her husband’s friend, 
attended to everything for her at the stall 
in Boston, and so all went on as usual 
at the farm, where John continued to 
climb the trees, and go on errands, with 
a light and happy heart. He did not 
seem to miss his sister, and had never 
shed a tear in memory of her loss since 
her foul and cruel murder. 


CHAPTER XL 


THE TRIAL. 

The 15th of October at length ar- 
rived, and the case of the Commonwealth 
of Massachusetts against Peter Morris, 
indicted for the murder of Cora Hand, 
Ida Smith, and Harry Reynolds, was 
called. The court-house was crowded, 
about one thousand strangers from Bos- 
ton and towns adjacent being present in 
Lynn, to satiate themselves by hearing 
the tale of horror retold, and if possible 
gratify their morbid curiosity by gazing 
on the prisoner. Unfortunately for the 
majority of the inhabitants of Lynn and 
visitors from Boston and other towns, it 
was an utter impossibility for more than 
a few hundred to obtain access to the 
court-room, owing to its very limited 

131 


132 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

capacity, and the rest had to content 
themselves by reading the sensational 
accounts written by reporters, in the 
daily papers. 

Finally a jury was selected, composed 
of men of Lynn, each of whom stated on 
his solemn oath that he had not formed 
an opinion as to the guilt or innocence 
of the accused, and had not read any- 
thing in the papers that would in any 
way have the slightest influence on his 
arriving at a verdict, from the evidence. 
Also that he had no conscientious scru- 
ples against capital punishment, should 
the evidence justify a verdict of murder 
in the first degree. 

James Reynolds and Thomas Hand 
described how, and where, they had 
found the children’s bodies ; also* how 
Peter, the accused negro, had driven 
them to the spot. 

Then, an important witness called by 
the prosecution was George Parker, who 
testified that he had found a clasp-knife 


THE TRIAL. 


133 


having P. M. cut into its hardwood 
handle, and with clotted blood upon its 
blade, which was open when found in the 
hollow of an oak in Chelsea Woods. 

Thomas Hand, James Reynolds, and 
Nathan Johnston testified that they had 
seen George Parker take the knife, which 
was identified by all, from the hollow in 
the oak as described. 

Finally Mrs. Sarah Watson was called, 
and as she took the stand a feeling of 
intense curiosity took possession of the 
entire court ; even the judge re-adjusted 
•his glasses, and gratified himself by a 
good stare at Sarah, as she faced the 
jury, and with great self-possession re- 
turned the stare of his honor. When 
she had been sworn, counsel for the peo- 
ple asked her the usual preliminary ques- 
tions, and then, if she had ever seen the 
clasp-knife before, which was handed to 
her for examination. 

“ Yes,” she replied ; and then continu- 
ing, said : “ This knife was bought by me 


134 i'HE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

for my husband, Moses Watson, and was 
intended as a Christmas present, but I 
never gave it to him. I had it in my 
, trunk when I went to live with Mrs. 
Smith, at the farm, and one day Peter 
Morris, the colored hired man, came into 
the kitchen and as I hear-d him say to 
Mrs. Smith or Charles Mason, the boy 
who has charge of the sheep, that he had 
lost his pocket-knife, I said : ‘ Never mind, 
Peter, I will give you . a knife.’ Actin’ 
on the impulse of the moment, I went 
upstairs to my trunk, got the knife out 
and gave it to Peter, who has carried it 
to my knowledge ever since, until the 
murder. I gave it to him nearly eigh- 
teen months ago. I positively identify 
the knife by the maker’s name, by the 
peculiar- handle, which is made of ebony, 
also by an imperfection in the end of the 
handle near the blade which I noticed 
before I had paid for it, and got it 
cheaper in consequence ; otherwise I 
would not have bought it.” 


THE TRIAL. 


135 


The imperfection was pointed out to 
the jury by Mrs. Watson, who shortly 
afterward left the witness stand amidst a 
murmur of satisfaction. Her evidence 
had made a great impression on the jury 
as to the guilt of Peter, and her personal 
appearance, it was easy to be seen, had 
impressed all the men in the court room, 
from the old bald-headed, red-faced judge 
to the ragged “bums” and “scabs” of 
Lynn. Even the aged Pastor Williams 
was observed to put on his glasses and 
stare at the voluptuous-looking, ele- 
gantly-attired Sarah, as she again took 
her seat among the other important wit- 
nesses, near the members of the bar, 
within the space resejrved for them and 
the reporters. 

Nathan Johnston, the superintendent, 
was called, and testified that between 
five and half past five on the afternoon 
of the picnic in Chelsea Woods, the 
accused had asked him if he knew where 
John Smith and his sister Ida were to be 


136 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

found, and that after the benediction the 
accused had again made inquiry concern- 
ing them. 

This closed the evidence for the com- 
monwealth. 

The counsel for the defence now arose, 
having been appointed by the court. 
Peter, being only a “nigger,” without 
money to pay a lawyer, no one, of course, 
would take his case. 

The first witness called by the defence 
was Charles Mason, who testified that 
Peter hitched the old black horse Sultan 
to the new covered wagon, and left the 
farm at four o’clock on that afternoon. 
He also testified that he recognized the 
clasp-knife as one he had often seen 
Peter use, and that he had cut the letters 
P. M. on the handle for Peter at his re- 
quest ; also, that two days before the 
picnic he had borrowed the aforesaid 
clasp-knife from Peter, but had never 
returned it, because he had lost it in the 
long grass in going or coming between 


THE TRIAL. 


137 


the sheep-fold and the farmhouse. This 
evidence produced a great sensation in 
the court. 

Peter, who had up to this time main- 
tained his usual dogged silence, now 
stood upon his bench in the dock and 
shouted, “ Fo de Lawd, Pse hoodooed, 
Fse hoodooed ! a snake ran ober dat ’nife 
in de grass, an den de debil fou.n’ dat 
’nife an murdered little Missy Ida an de 
udder chillen. Fse hoodooed ! Fse hoo- 
dooed ! ” 

“ Sit down there and keep quiet,” cried 
an officer ; but Peter continued to shout, 

“ Fse hoodooed ! Fse hoodooed ! ” until 
two officers had forced him down on his 
bench and held him there awhile, when 
he finally resumed his former demeanor. ' 

The next witness was Mr. Isaac Pratt, 
the old friend of Samuel Smith. He tes- 
tified that on the afternoon of the picnic, 
he had met Peter driving toward Chelsea 
Woods, and had asked him to loan him 
his knife to cut a hole in a strap that had 


138 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

broken on his dun-mare Fannie’s har- 
ness ; but that Peter, aker feeling in his 
pockets, had replied that he could not 
find his knife. Peter had then driven 
on toward the woods. 

Little John Smith, it was supposed, 
had been with the dead children when 
they went off to walk, and he was called 
as a witness ; but owing to his extreme 
3^outh, the counsel for the defence had 
privatel}^ objected to his evidence being 
given, and as the case was sufficiently 
strong to hang Peter, the prosecution 
had dispensed with his testimony. 

After some more irrelevant testimony 
had been given for the defence, and the 
cross-examination of both sides had been 
concluded, the counsel for the prosecu- 
tion addressed the jury, and then the 
defence in turn addressed that august 
body of citizens. Finally, the judge 
delivered his charge, which was not with- 
out prejudice against the prisoner, and 
the jury retired to ballot for a verdict. 


THE TRIAL. 


139 


In fifteen minutes the jury came into 
court and announced as their verdict, 
that Peter Morris, the prisoner at the 
bar, was guilty of murder in the first 
degree — at which there was a round of 
applause that was repressed by the court. 

Counsel for the people now moved 
that sentence be pronounced ; and the 
judge, after putting on his glasses and 
gazing smilingly at the women in the 
court, looked savagely at Peter, while in 
loud and cruel tones he sentenced him to 
be hanged by the neck until he be dead, 
on November 15th, and just as he had 
said, “and may God” — intending to 
add, “ have mercy on your soul,” Peter 
jumped upon his bench in the dock. 

The officers seized him and he was 
carried to his cell, shouting, “ Pse hoo- 
dooed ! Pse hoodooed ! Pse hoodooed!” 


CHAPTER XIL 


THE ESCAPE. 

After the conviction of Peter, the 
public mind had rest, as far as the justice 
of the verdict and the penalty he was 
condemned to pay were concerned ; but 
would that penalty ever be enforced ? 
That was the great question that agitated 
all classes in favor of capital punishment, 
and one that was discussed in all places 
of public resort, particularly in the bar- 
rooms of Lynn. It was well known that 
the governor had not during his term of 
office, signed a single death warrant, 
that the jails of Massachusetts ' were, 
metaphorically speaking, filled with con- 
demned murderers, who would, if the 
law had not been clogged, and justice 
defeated, have been dead and in their 


40 


THE ESCAPE. 


I4I 

graves with nought left to show that 
they had ever lived but the sad memory 
of their crimes. 

While this matter was the subject of 
discussion among all classes, news of the 
victories and defeats of our soldiers in 
the field continued to pour in from 
every quarter of the blood-stained bat- 
tle-ground. The negroes, who had been 
made the scape-goats for the occasion of 
the war, that was really culminated by 
those powerful politicians of the North 
and South, some of whom in Congress 
probably hoped for their own aggran- 
dizement, yes, those very negroes, who 
were slaves in Southern fields, were still 
in all Northern States despised, and 
looked on by thousands of Northern 
men as only fit for servants, even slaves. 

Once the North too had slaves, negro 
slaves, and sold them to the South, 
because the Northern States were all too 
cold to raise cotton, rice or sugar-cane, 
and it was not profitable to keep black 


142 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

slaves. Then when the Northern States 
literally called on the South to set the 
black men free, because the slave system 
was really a curse, the question came. 
What, lose the gold we paid for them ? 
Ah ! that magic metal turned in all the 
ages past, and shall in all of those to come, 
turn human hearts to flint, and make 
all mankind but monsters, clutching at 
each other’s throats, or rather more like 
hungry wolves chasing some lone and 
weary traveller on an icy plain, who 
when their famished fellows slip and fall 
upon the way, they stop, and eating 
them have strength to run the faster 
in the traveller’s wake. 

When the Federal government did not 
offer to pay the planters for their slaves 
and then set them free, without loss to 
their owners, then came the war for the 
preservation of our mighty Union, which 
was threatened by the Southern States 
in their secession from that bond of 
strength bequeathed us by our patriot 


THE ESCAPE. 


143 


sires. Yes, rebellion must be always 
crushed when our country is in danger ; 
and as it is debasing to own black slaves, 
physical slaves, so is it debasing to 
literally own white slaves, mental slaves. 
Yes, slaves to false theories, systems, 
and beliefs. For at this day, in North 
and South alike, there are thousands of 
white slaves, who some day it is to be 
hoped will be made free. 

But first, great leaders must come from 
the ranks of suffering thousands. Men 
like Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, 
and all the rest of those who led our 
armies on the battle-fields, and saved our 
country. And such men may come soon, 
and come in time, not to soak the earth 
with blood, as our former saviors were 
compelled, but to be great leaders of the 
people while they live in peace, and are 
led to protect their own, their country, 
and their homes, and thus be free from 
every menace of all foreign powers, in 


144 CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

the true and fullest sense of that word 
Freedom. 

The fifteenth of November came and 
no death warrant for the execution of 
Peter had been received from the gov- 
ernor. After a week had passed without 
its arriving, some of the rougher citizens 
of Lynn held a meeting in a private 
room over one of the most popular bar- 
rooms of the town. Exactly what trans- 
pired was never known except to those 
who had attended, among whom Moses 
Watson, the aged husband of Sarah, was 
a leader. Moses Watson it has been 
stated was forty years the senior of his 
attractive wife, whom he had married 
when she was a young girl working in 
the same shoe factory with Hannah 
Allen, who had at about the same time 
become the wife of Sam Smith the 
butcher, after a short courtship, for 
both girls had come from Maine within 
the year. 

One night, while Peter was lying on his 


THE ESCAPE. 


145 


cot in the cell, with his face toward the 
barred window, he started at the sight of 
a human hand grasping one of the bars 
which he could see distinctly against the 
moonlit sky. In a moment after he saw 
another hand holding a small parcel, and 
when the parcel had been laid between 
the two iron bars of the window the 
hands disappeared. 

“ Dat am berry strange,” he muttered 
to himself as he reached up and took the 
parcel, glancing at the same time fur- 
tively toward the door of his cell, which 
he found had been closed and locked for 
the night. Feeling certain the action 
had not been observed he returned to 
his cot and listened, and not hearing the 
usual sound of footsteps in the corridor 
outside, near the door, opened the parcel, 
and held in his hands two objects more 
precious to him at that moment than 
would have been his weight in gold. 

Yes, freedom was now before him. 
He feared at present the rats that came 


10 


146 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

into his cell at night and left their tracks 
upon his pillow, more than anything else 
in the world. And now he would be 
free, yes, with those thin, narrow files 
well greased with the tallow candle in his 
cell, he would saw a bar : but one, and 
at the bottom, and then bend it, squeeze 
through and drop upon the ground, and 
run on, on, on, into the shadows of the 
night. It all was plain and easy in his 
mind and so he filed and filed, the very 
minutes seeming hours as he worked 
away like a gigantic black leopard in a 
cage-trap, who tries to gnaw his way to 
liberty. 

As already stated Peter, since the day 
for his trial had been set, had been con- 
fined in the new jail, back of the court- 
house, and his cell was in the back of this 
jail toward the outskirts of the town, 
near which there was a road leading to 
the country.* 

At last the bar was cut ; he bent it, for 
desperation made him strong. In an- 


THE ESCAPE. 


147 


Other moment he was through, and had 
dropped ten feet upon the ground below, 
unhurt. 

. Two men, strangers to him, were there 
and came beside him. They whispered, 
“We are friends; come.” He followed 
them in silence to a covered wagon on 
the road. They all got in, and drove 
slowly at first and then at a furious gal- 
lop that made the trees and fences fly 
past like spectres in the uncertain mid- 
night moonlight. Where were they 
going ? He did not ask. Perhaps he 
did not care. Anything was better than 
the jail, the rats, and death upon the 
gallows. At last the wagon reached a 
woods at which it stopped. He got out 
when the others did and saw he was at 
Chelsea Woods. Then and only then his 
mind misgave. 

“ Wha yoo brung me hyar foh?” he 
asked. 

“ For this,” replied a ruffian as several 
of the gang sprang from behind the trees 


148 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

like demons in the darkness, and seized 
him, while the spokesman put a noose 
around his neck, and then while one of 
them lighted a torch and led the way, the 
gang dragged him onward to the hollow 
oak upon the bank above the marsh, 
where Parker found the bloody knife. 
All his struggles, shrieks and prayers 
for mercy were in vain. They flung the 
rope around a lower limb of that fatal 
tree and paused. 

“You black scoundrel!” said Moses 
Watson as he stepped forward, his face 
and those of all being plainly visible in 
the torchlight as it fell upon the scene, — 
“ Confess.” 

“Yes. Confess,” cried all. “Confess 
before you die.” 

Peter stood there looking like the 
black statue of a slave indeed, bound hand 
and foot, and at first was mute. 

“ Confess,” they cried again, giving the 
rope a pull that raised him from the 


THE ESCAPE. 


149 


ground, and then they let him down upon 
his feet again to gasp for breath. 

“Fo de Lawd, I neber killed does 
leetle chillen,” he said. 

“You lie, you black imp, you lie ! So 
my wife gave you the knife she bought 
forme, did she? You were her nigger 
lover, I suppose,” hissed Moses Watson. 

“ Gemmen,” said Peter, “ let me 
say one prayar an’ sing one varse ob de 
ole hymn, on dis hyar meetin’ groun’, an’ 
den yoo ken do yo’r wust.” 

“Go ahead, nigger, for your time is 
short,” said the ruffian who had put the 
noose around his neck. “ Go ahead.” 

“Oh, Good Lawd, look down on dye 
poor sarbant. Sabe dye poor sarbant’s 
soul. Oh, Lawd, yoo knows I nebber 
hurted a ha’r on de he’ds ob does little 
chillen. Yoo knows it, Lawd, an’ Lawd, 
fohgib all des men, an sabe ma soul.” 
And then in his beautiful baritone voice 
he sanof this verse of that old Methodist 
hymn : 


1 50 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

“ Den in a nobler, sweeter song, 

I’ll sing dye power to sabe. 

When dis poor lispin’, stam’rin’ tongue 
Lies silent in de grabe.” 

These were his last words, for just as 
he had finished the stanza, his lynchers 
pulled him off his feet, and raised him 
far above the ground, and in less than 
fifteen minutes his hands and feet, which 
they had tied, had ceased to twitch, and 
Peter had yielded up his ghost. They 
then put out the torch and left him 
hanging there, while all stole back to 
Lynn, and in the morning, when the jailor 
looked into his cell and found it empty^ 
the cry was raised that he had escaped. 
Searching parties were sent out, and his 
body was found hanging cold and stiff, 
in Chelsea Woods, surrounded by scav- 
enger curs, who had been jumping at his 
feet, where the marks of their teeth were 
plainly to be seen upon his boots, but 
they could not jump high enough to 


THE ESCAPE. 


151 

tear and feast upon his flesh, for he was 
five feet from the ground. 

The coroner took charge of his remains 
and sold them to the doctors for dissec- 
tion. And the men who lynched him' 
were never supposed to be known. 
Justice was satisfied. Peter the murderer 
was hanged. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


A CHRISTMAS TREE. 

For a few weeks only was the awful 
fate of Peter the subject of discussion. 
All persons who had attended his trial 
or followed the reports of the case in the 
newspapers, were of the opinion that he 
richly deserved to be hanged. But the 
law-abiding people in all parts of the 
country deplored the illegal method em- 
ployed to carry out his death sentence. 
There was not the slightest doubt in the 
mind of any one but that he had lured 
the children to that distant part of Chel- 
sea Woods overlooking the marsh, and 
after cutting their throats, had rolled 
them .down the bank, and then hidden 
the blood-stained knife in the hollow in 
the oak; afterward going to Mr. John- 


152 


A CHRISTxMAS TREE. 1 53 

ston to make inquiries concerning them. 
Nor was there a doubt but that little 
John Smith had seen Peter with the 
children, and had been himself sent by 
the negro to walk along the road where 
he finally sat down on the stone and was 
overtaken, and made the statement that 
the black man had the children. 

As to the testimony of Charles Mason, 
who swore that he had borrowed Peters 
knife and lost it in the grass, it was 
not believed. The jurymen stated after 
their discharge that they believed young 
Mason was trying to save Peter, from a 
friendly motive. 

The evidence of Mr. Isaac Pratt, in 
which he swore he had met Peter and 
asked the loan of his knife, was not 
questioned, the jury believing that Peter 
intended at that time to murder the 
children and refrained from showing that 
he had a knife in case of subsequent de- 
tection ; and so the story of the murder 


154 the curse of marriage. 

ceased to be told, and people in Lynn 
attended to their own affairs again. 

Mrs. Smith and Sarah Watson still 
lived quietly .at the farm, the former 
being again able to attend to business in 
the market, and the latter making more 
friends than ever, owing to her power of 
fascination, whenever she accompanied 
her “baby” to Boston. Little John had 
contracted a great friendship for one of 
Mr. Isaac Pratt’s boys, about his own 
age, and spent much of his time in his 
company at the Pratt farm, which ad- 
joined that of the Smith family. Mrs. 
Hand was still an invalid, and Mrs. Rey- 
nolds continued to be an inmate of the 
insane asylum. 

This was the condition of the different 
families when December came, and all 
the earth of New England was covered 
with a mantle of snow. On Christmas 
Eve George Parker called at Mr. Rey- 
nolds’ villa to assist Anna to dress a 
Christmas tree for the scholars of her 


A CHRISTMAS TREE. 1 55 

Sunday-school class, and the edification 
of Mr. Hand’s two daughters, who had 
been invited to visit the house to dine on 
Christmas Day, as friends of Anna’s 
nephews, Thomas and Charles Reynolds. 

It was the delight of Anna’s generous 
heart to amuse and instruct children, 
and she always seemed happiest when 
affording happiness to others. The tree 
was a large one, and had been placed — 
as if planted — in a small tub of earth, 
that stood upon a strong pine table in 
the back parlor. Boxes of toys were 
there in abundance, as were numerous 
boxes of those small colored candles, and 
highly colored glass balls, so ornamental 
when properly distributed among the 
branches of a well shaped Christmas 
tree. 

“Come, George,” said Anna, “stand 
on the table and stick the candles in 
prominent places among the branches 
while I hand them up to you, and then 


156 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

you can fasten the colored balls on too 
before you get down.” 

‘‘ All right, Anna,” George replied, as 
he got upon the table; “hand up the 
candles and I’ll fix them first.” They 
were alone in the parlor, the boys having 
been sent to bed, and Mr. Reynolds 
being in his library reading over some 
new briefs. 

“ That’s right, George, melt the little 
candles on the end and stick them on,” 
she said ; and then : — “ Wait a minute, 
George, I think the man in the shop 
where I bought them, said he would put 
some little tin holders for them in the 
package, but where can they be ? Oh ! 
here they are. Use these, George, in- 
stead of melting the ends ; it will be ever 
so much nicer,”^ — and she handed him 
the package of holders, which he con- 
tinued to put in the proper places until 
there were no holders left, and then 
he put the little red, yellow and blue 
candles into them. 


A CHRISTMAS TREE. 1 57 

“There,” said he, when that- part of 
the decoration had been finished. “ You 
can pass me up the balls,” a request she 
instantly complied with. And when 
they, and some metal stars, and china 
angels that were among them in the box, 
had been secured in places where they 
would show to the most advantage when 
the tree was aflame with light, George 
came down from the table and stood 
beside Anna to survey his work. 

“Well, Anna,” he said, “ I think it 
looks well ; it reminds me of the Christ- 
mas trees at home when I was a little 
boy.” 

“ Yes, George, I know just how it 
brings back the past ; for when I was a 
little girl at home, long before my dear 
parents died and I came to live in Lynn, 

I used to have just such beautiful trees, 
at Christmas. Now let us lay out the 
toys and other presents. Let me see. 
Here is a handsome wax doll for Clara 
Hand, and a workbox for her sister 


158 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

Flora, and a small box of tools for 
Thomas, and this bow-gun is for 
Charles. Dear me ! there are so many 
different kinds of toys in this parcel that 
it will take us a long time to tie them 
to the tree.” 

“ Never mind,” replied George as he 
got upon the table again, “hand them 
up,” and she continued to hand him 
wooden horses, and goats, and lions, and 
tigers, and in short, wild and domestic 
animals and birds of every description, 
which were to gladden the hearts of her 
Sunday-school class on the morrow, when 
with youthful shouts of merriment they 
would mingle together in that gorgeously 
appointed parlor, and after a happy day 
spent with their dear teacher, return to 
less elegantly furnished homes, to show 
the beautiful presents their dear Miss 
Harland had received from Santa Claus, 
especially for them. 

When all the toys, the cornucopias of 
candy and other trifles that so please the 


A CHRISTMAS TREE. 1 59 

innocent hearts of childhood had been 
distributed among the branches of the 
tree, it was only ten o’clock, and as the 
two hours work had wearied them a little, 
they sat down upon the same sofa, and 
as they were still alone in the parlor, 
George took Anna’s hand and held it 
firmly between both of his. She did not 
draw her hand away, but looked up at 
the tree and in a low voice said : — 

‘‘ George, do you know I think that 
tree would look better if the tub in which 
it stands was placed upon the floor in- 
stead of upon the table.” 

Yes,” he replied, ‘‘ and so it would ; 
I will move it.’* 

“ But, George, you cannot move that 
heavy tree.” 

“Oh, yes I can, with the assistance of 
the coachman, early to-morrow morning, 
before the children come.” 

And still while saying this his hands 
, clasped hers and both looked at the tree, 
and then for some minutes both were 


i6o 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


silent, until she put her other hand on 
his, when they instinctively drew closer 
together upon the sofa, and gazed into 
each other’s eyes. 

Presently George said : “ Anna, I love 
you.” 

“ And I love you, George,” she replied, 
and that was all. There was no false 
coyness on her part to draw him on, no 
fear on his to speak the truth. Each 
had spoken from the heart, each meant 
what each had said, and knew the other 
to be true, and then they kissed each 
other on the lips, and in a moment, 
George held Anna in his arms, while hers 
were clasped about his neck, her face 
upturned, so that his kisses fell upon her 
virgin lips, which in return gave virgin 
kisses back, to be restored to her again. 

At length she whispered to her lover 
these words, “ My darling George, you 
must not go to war, for if you should be 
killed in battle, the same wound would 
kill me too. I know your heart is set on 


A CHRISTMAS TREE. l6l 

going; I know our country calls; but 
George, do not go. I love you too 
much to let you risk your life even for 
our country.” 

Then clasping her still closer to his 
heart, he raised her from the sofa, and 
they stood upon the parlor floor still 
clasped in each other’s arms, and then 
he spoke. 

‘"Anna,” he said, “my darling Anna, 
I love you with my soul ; but as my 
mind is set on going to war, my parents 
have consented. I am enrolled to go, 
and feel it is my duty, and the day after 
Christmas I shall leave for the front, per- 
haps never to meet you again ; and now, 
my dear girl, promise me that when I 
return from the war you will be my 
wife.” 

“Yes, George,” she answered, “I will 
be your wife”; and then after kissing 
him good-night, she went to the front 
door with him and said good-night again. 

The next morning he called and 


II 


i 62 the curse of marriage. 

moved the Christmas tree, with the 
assistance of the coachman, and in the 
evening he called again and said fare- 
well. She did not weep ; she did not 
tear a ribbon from her dress and give 
him ; nor did she hand him a little Bible, 
or a locket that might ward a bullet from 
his heart in battle. No, she simply 
kissed him and said, “Good-bye, George. 
God bless you.” The image of each was 
graven on the other’s soul. Naught else 
was needed. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


AN UNKNOWN VISITOR. 

When George Parker left Lynn for 
the front, he carried the good wishes of 
all the patriotic citizens who knew him, 
and he was remarkably well known for 
so young a man, not only in Lynn but 
Boston, where he had many friends. 
Being such an accomplished rider he 
chose the cavalry as the branch of ser- 
vice he was best adapted to, and went 
to join his regiment with the rank of 
Second Lieutenant. The regiment to 
which his company had been appointed 
had been in the field since the com- 
mencement of the war. 

After he had gone Anna devoted her- 
self assiduously to deeds of charity and 
the instruction of her class in Rev. 

163 


164 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

David Williams’ Sunday-school, or 
rather the Sunday-school that was 
attached to his Presbyterian Church, 
and under the superintendence of 
Mr. Nathan Johnston. Having known 
George for three years, she had had 
every opportunity to learn to know him 
well and love him for himself ; and as 
for George loving her, there was not 
anything remarkable about that for 
everybody loved her, though of course 
not in the same way that he did. 

Everything in the homes of Mr. Rey- 
nolds and Mr. Hand had resumed the 
even tenor of their way long before the 
year 1863 commenced to run its course 
in the cycle of. time. The two murdered 
children, Harry Reynolds and Cora 
Hand, were always alluded to in terms of 
the tenderest affection ; and so was little 
Ida Smith, when her name was men- 
tioned at the farm, where everything 
pursued its natural course until P'eb- 
ruary, when little John Smith, while in 


AN UNKNOWN VISITOR. 


65 


the company of his friend, young Pratt, 
accidentally shot and killed himself while 
playing with an old gun in the garret 
of Pratt’s farm-house. Young Pratt, 
although only a few feet distant, was, 
strange to say, not injured ; but as little 
John’s head was blown off, he, of course, 
had died instantly. It was supposed 
that he did not know the gun was loaded, 
which is the common excuse when such 
accidents occur. 

It was most unfortunate that Mrs. 
Smith should lose both children, and in 
such rapid succession, but so it often 
happens in life. The most unexpected 
is often the first to happen. John’s poor 
mutilated body was placed beside Ida’s, 
and his doubly-bereaved mother was 
again utterly prostrated with grief. 
How strange it is that we so often hear 
of three or four terrible railroad acci- 
dents in rapid succession, and in differ- 
ent parts of the country. But this sin- 
gular fact is not confined to railroads, but 


l66 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

applies equally well to other disasters, 
such as great fires, steamboat explo- 
sions, suicides, murders, and even acci- 
dental shooting affairs, such as had be- 
fallen little John Smith, for within the 
next ten days succeeding his horrible 
fate, two other boys of about his age 
met with similar deaths, one in Boston 
and one in Lynn, and neither of them 
had known the weapons were loaded. 

It was a sad blow to both the Smith 
and Pratt families that such a fearful 
accident should occur, and it was months 
before the horror of it had worn off. 
During the first week of the month of 
March, with its terrible storms, seem- 
ingly blown in from the ocean by that 
fatal east wind that sweeps over Lynn, 
Boston, and the adjacent towns and coun- 
try, Mrs. Smith was in such an enfeebled 
condition that she remained in the com- 
fortable old farm-house almost entirely, 
leaving to Isaac Pratt and Sarah Watson 
the entire management of her household 


AN UNKNOWN VISITOR. 167 

affairs and business in Boston, to which 
latter Pratt gave almost his entire atten- 
tion, for a reasonable remuneration, also 
continuing to kill the sheep, which he 
had done since the arrest of Peter. 

One evening in March, about nine 
o’clock, while Sarah, Charles Mason, and 
Mrs. Smith were sitting in the kitchen be- 
fore an open fire of logs which were burn- 
ing brightly in the ancient fireplace, there 
were several loud knocks at the front 
door. They were so loud that they 
startled them, for lulled to drowsiness by 
the heat of the roaring fire, they had 
each fallen into a state between sleep 
and reverie. Sarah got up instantly and 
went toward the door, remarking as she 
did so that, as it was so late, it must be 
Isaac Pratt, as he was the only person at 
all likely to call at such an unusual hour. 

She opened the door, and as she did 
so the glare of the roaring fire fell upon 
the doorstep, which was covered with 
freshly-fallen snow, on which no foot- 


l68 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

steps were visible. She looked out, but 
no one was there. Closing the door at 
once, and locking and bolting it securely, 
she placed her back, without any ap- 
parent reason, against it, and looked at 
the others in amazement, when the loud 
knocking was repeated, and with such 
violence that she could distinctly feel the 
vibrations between her shoulders. Too 
much frightened to speak, she resumed 
her seat and stared blankly at Mrs. 
Smith and Mason, who were as white and 
speechless as herself, and were both still 
looking at the door. Before any of 
them had spoken, the knocking was re- 
peated with greater violence than before, 
and then Mrs.. Smith requested Mason 
to open the door and see who was there. 
He did so without delay, but when he 
looked out not a soul was to be seen. 

The freshly fallen snow,, which was 
still falling slowly, was there drifted 
against the outside of the door until 
it formed a ridge about six inches in 


AN UNKNOWN VISITOR. 169 

height, and snow to the depth of at least 
three inches lay upon the step, unmarked 
by footsteps, just as it had fallen. 

Both Mrs. Smith and Sarah now arose 
and peered out into the night ; but as far 
as they could see, the snow lay smooth 
and spotless. To say that all were 
a little startled by this strange and 
most mysterious aspect of nature, in 
direct contradiction to all they had ever 
seen or heard, would be to use a mild 
and most inefficient term. They were 
amazed beyond the boundaries of imagi- 
nation, and so far beyond that wondrous 
attribute of all human minds did their 
amazement pass, that each was dumb 
from very dread and awe-inspiring won- 
der. After again locking and bolting 
the door. Mason resumed his seat, and 
the two women stood near him with the 
icy chills of abject fear creeping over 
them from head to foot, as they clutched 
each other s bodies with a vise-like grasp, 
while the very hair moved upon their 


170 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

heads as if endowed by nature with a 
separate, individual life distinct from 
theirs. Mason’s teeth were chatter- 
ing in his head and every limb was trem- 
bling as he now sat pale and speechless. 
All were still gazing in silence upon the 
door, and while they gazed the knocking 
was repeated, louder than before. 

Mason found his speech, and hoarsely 
whispered, ‘‘ It must be Peter’s ghost.” 
This was too much for their o’erwrought 
nerves, for both women shrieked and fell 
fainting upon the floor. Charles Mason 
had in his extreme terror dashed a large 
tin cup of cold water in the face of each 
without effect, when fortunately he remem- 
bered that he had once heard that the 
fumes of burning feathers or paper would 
revive persons when they had fits of any 
kind, and so he now lost no time in burn- 
ing a piece of newspaper near the nose of 
each, which had the desired effect almost 
immediately, and in a few moments both 
of them were sitting on the kitchen floor. 


AN UNKNOWN VISITOR. 


171 

rubbing their eyes and asking where they 
were, and what was the matter, to which 
he replied, — “ It’s all right now,” as he 
assisted first one and then the other to 
arise, which having done, they resumed 
their seats near the fire and watched the 
door with eager and expectant eyes. 
No more knocks were heard, however, 
and so after talking over the mysterious 
affair for fully an hour, all concluded to 
go to bed. 

Mason had moved from his quarters in 
the loft over the sheep-fold, which were 
not sufficiently warm for winter use, and 
it was with much trepidation that he 
went to his room in the garret that night, 
which had formerly been occupied by 
Peter. Sarah and Mrs. Smith went up- 
stairs when Mason did, for they were 
both too nervous to remain in the 
kitchen by themselves after having heard 
those unaccountable knocks^ When they 
had entered their bed-room, Sarah said : 


1/2 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

“ Baby, what do you think that could 
have been, knockin’ on the front door ? ” 

'‘Hush, Sally!” replied Mrs. Smith, 
“ hush ! for mercy’s sake ; I do not want 
to think of it, it was terrifyin’.” 

“ All right. Baby. Here, take your 
powder, and then we will go to sleep.” 

Mrs. Smith, after taking the morphine 
powder, got into bed, and was followed 
by Sarah when she had taken her dose, 
and being afraid to put the candle out, 
they left it burning, and while it burned 
away they slept, clasped in each other’s 


arms. 


CHAPTER XV. 


THE CRIMSON ARM. 

After breakfast, the following morn- 
ing, Isaac Pratt called as usual at the 
Smith farm to attend to his duties, and 
was told of the mysterious knocks upon 
the door. 

Of course he laughed ; persons always 
do when they have heard such stories, 
but after once having had a similar ex- 
perience, one is not so apt to laugh or 
make light in any way of those mysteries 
that to the many are but freaks of the 
imagination, while to the few they are as 
true as anything they have ever expe- 
rienced in their lives. And perhaps it 
is most fortunate that such mysterious 
things so rarely occur in nature. How- 
ever, that they do‘ occur there is not the 

173 


174 the curse of marriage. 

slightest question in the minds of those 
who have once heard them. 

While Pratt was talking to the two 
women in the kitchen that morning, 
about the business in Boston, all three, 
that is Pratt, Sarah and Mrs. Smith, — 
Mason being at the barn, — heard a loud 
knocking on the kitchen table. The 
knocks were apparently made by hands 
that were invisible, and there was also a 
rubbing and scratching heard as if made 
by the nails and fingers of living hurrian 
hands, as they would if a strong man had 
rubbed his hands over the pine table and 
then scratched upon it with his nails. 
They all were too astonished to speak, 
and while they looked at the table 
and listened, from the far corner of the 
kitchen a chair came gliding toward Mrs. 
Smith and stopped beside her. 

“Well,” said Pratt, “if that ain’t the 
strangest thing I ever see in my whol’ 
life.” And then loud knocks commenced 
again upon the table. 


THE CRIMSON ARM. 1 75 

“ Listen,” said Sarah. 

“ Well ! I want to know,” remarked 
Pratt, as Mrs. Smith sank upon the chair 
that had come toward her. 

“ Well, Mr. Pratt,” she said, “you do 
not laugh now.” 

“ No, Mrs. Smith,” he replied, “ this 
is no laughing matter, and I must state 
what I believe to be the case. This 
house is haunted, and those knocks upon 
the door last night were made by a 
ghost.” 

After he had said this, the knocks 
upon the table commenced again, much 
louder than before, and continued for 
about ten minutes as if in token that 
what he had said was true. 

“ Whoever it is the ghost of,” re- 
marked Sarah, “ it seems anxious to be 
known as bein’ here.” 

“ Mrs. Smith,” said Pratt, “ I am goin’ 
to Lynn to-day and will ask my pastor, 
the Rev. David Williams, to ‘ come up 
and see if he cannot find out whose ghost 


1/6 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

it is, and what it wants. In the mean 
time do not be at all alarmed, for I am 
satisfied it means no harm to any one. 
I have often read and heard of haunted 
houses, but never till to-day have I heard 
or seen anythin’ that was outside of 
nature’s laws as they are understood by 
most men.” 

“ Very well,” she replied, “ I wish you 
would ask him to call.” 

It is wonderful how the presence of a 
strong man with common sense will 
strenofthen the weak nerves of some 
women. And it was so in this instance. 
Both Sarah and her “baby” had been 
terribly frightened the night before when 
the ghost knocked upon the front door, 
while Charles Mason, the boy, was the 
only male in the house with them, and he 
was frightened as much as they had 
been ; but now having been assured 
there was no danger, their courage had 
returned, and they awaited with some 
impatience the coming of the clergyman. 


THE CRIMSON ARM. 1 7; 

No more knocks were heard, and after 
waiting half an hour, in the hope of 
further gratifying his curiosity, Pratt 
got into a small sleigh drawn by Queen, 
the trotting mare, and was before Rev. 
David Williams’ parsonage in Lynn in 
less than half an hour. During his 
absence in Lynn, nothing mysterious 
occurred in the old farm-house, and 
when he arrived with the clergyman, 
who had come very reluctantly, it was 
still early in the morning. 

In conversing on the subject with 
Pratt while on the way, the Rev. David 
Williams had admitted that in the Bible 
were to be found accounts of the visits 
to men of ghosts, angels, and devils, 
aye, even of Satan himself ; but he 
stated that since the death of our Lord 
upon the cross, the gates between this 
world and heaven, and hell, had been 
closed as far as the inmates of either 
place were concerned in having power to 
visit men on earth. And it was with 


12 


178 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

this idea firmly rooted in his orthodox 
mind, that the clergyman entered the 
haunted farm-house. 

“ Oh, you have come back already,” 
remarked Sarah, as Pratt entered the 
house accompanied by Mr. Williams. 

Yes,” replied that individual, as he 
introduced Sarah and Mrs. Smith to the 
minister, who had never met either of 
them personally before. He looked 
earnestly at Sarah, whom he remembered 
as the principal witness in the trial of 
Peter for the murder of the children, and 
after seating himself in an arm-chair as 
invited by Mrs. Smith, commenced the 
conversation by remarking that Mr. 
Pratt had informed him that somethin’ 
mysterious had occurred. 

''Yes, sir,” replied Sarah, “something 
very mysterious, that frightened us very 
much last night, but somehow to-day we 
dp not feel afraid at all, because we are 
confident that no harm is intended to 
any one.” 


THE CRIMSON ARM. 


179 


Well, ladies, I have heard all about 
this affair before from Mr. Pratt,” re- 
marked the reverend gentleman, when 
Sarah and Mrs. Smith had finished tel- 
ling him all that had transpired, “ and 
now if you have not all been deceived in 
some unaccountable manner, I hope that 
something will occur while I am here, 
for I am not a believer in such things 
you know.” 

When he had finished speaking all sat 
silent and listened for fully ten minutes 
with patience, when knocks were heard 
upon the kitchen floor, for they were all 
in that room. The knocks were appar- 
ently made with some heavy object, pre- 
sumably a hammer, for the sounds were 
identical to those that could have been 
produced upon the floor by a hammer in 
the hands of a strong man. After these 
sounds had continued for about three 
minutes, a heavy hatchet that had been 
always kept in the shed adjoining the 
kitchen, fell from out the air and lay upon 


I80 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE, 

the floor of the kitchen to the amazement 
of all, particularly the Rev. David Wil- 
liams, who remarked : — 

“ It is very strange, but because I can- 
not explain it, it does not follow that it 
was done by a ghost. However, let us 
see what next will happen.” 

Just as he had finished speaking a cold 
breeze seemed to permeate the super- 
heated atmosphere of the room, and Mrs. 
Smith, who was sitting with her face 
directly opposite the clergyman, suddenly 
jumped to her feet as she exclaimed : — 

“ Human hands have touched me on 
the head, face, and shoulders, and they 
were as cold as ice.” 

In a moment afterward the Rev. 
David Williams declared he had felt the 
touch of hands upon his arms and back, 
and that they had pushed and pulled him 
in the direction of the pantry in the cor- 
ner of the kitchen, the door of which was 
partly closed, but was open sufficiently 
for all to see the dishes, knives, forks 


THE CRIMSON ARM. 


and other household objects arranged 
upon the shelves within. Impelled by 
that innate curiosity that is possessed by 
all mankind in a greater or a less degree, 
the minister, followed by the others, went 
toward the pantry. Sarah stepped for- 
ward, opened the door, and all looked in. 
As every object seemed to be in its 
proper place, and there was not anything 
to attract their attention, she closed the 
door and fastened it with the old fash- 
ioned wooden button that had been there 
for a century at least, and all were return- 
ing to the seats they had left near the 
fireplace, when they were startled by 
hearing loud knocks upon the pantry 
door. All turned, and as they did so the 
door flew partly open and from inside 
the pantry all saw extended a white 
human arm, bared to the very shoulder, 
while in the hand was held a large carving- 
knife as if it were a dagger. 

The twp women who had boasted they 
were no longer afraid now showed by 


i 82 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


their actions that they had been mis- 
taken, for, as they screamed and clung 
to each other, their starting eyes and 
trembling forms denoted that fear pos- 
sessed their very souls. 

Even the tall and dignified clergyman 
was wrought upon by a feeling of dread 
that was beyond the control of his cul- 
tured orthodox mind. His theories of 
will power were of no avail, for now he 
and Pratt stood side by side, both pale 
and trembling, and well they might, for 
as they gazed the hand and arm turned 
crimson, and there was blood upon the 
knife. 


CHAPTER XVI. 


AFTERWARD. 

To all infidels and atheists, the two 
preceding chapters will doubtless appear 
but as the senseless wanderings of a weird 
or foul imagination that has conjured up 
the alleged superstitions of the dark ages, 
and endeavored to make them attrac- 
tive adjuncts to a story with what such 
readers may be pleased to consider a 
questionable moral, and whose pages 
they may think ate not in the least 
adorned. Such readers, if they have 
read thus far, had perhaps better read no 
further. 

But to those readers who believe in 
the divine origin of the Bible, or that 
there is another world where all men live 
after having died in this, statements in 
harmony with positively known facts, may 
183 


1 84 the curse of marriage. 

be of interest and perhaps of value. From 
what has been seen and heard in haunted 
houses, it has been discovered that the 
ghosts of the dead live in a world very 
similar to ours. That to these ghosts 
their world is just as material as our 
world is to us, that they are just as sub- 
stantial to each other as ghosts as we are 
to each other as men, and that what is a 
solid substance to us as men is to the 
ghosts but a liquid or vapor, while what 
to them is solid matter is to us but air. 

Or to put it more comprehensively, 
perhaps, these twov^ovlAs existing together 
in the atmosphere are each as material 
and real as the other to their own inhabi- 
tants whether they be ghosts or men. 

The modern medical theory that all 
persons who claim to see or hear ghosts 
of the dead are deranged, is not tena- 
ble. Nor does it prove that there are no 
ghosts because we know that deranged 
persons often claim to see and hear them, 
for there is no reason why an insane per- 


AFTERWARD. 


B5 


son should not see a ghost as well as a 
sane person. This may seem paradoxical 
at first, but since in order to see or hear 
ghosts it is necessary either to have been 
born with the power, and consequently 
live literally in both worlds at once, or 
that some person be present from whose 
body vital magnetism escapes in sufficient 
quantities to render the contact of the 
inhabitants of the two worlds possible, 
who shall say that this necessary vital 
magnetism does not escape from the 
bodies of the insane as well as of the 
sane ? or that persons born with the power 
or who acquire it must lose it when they 
become insane. For who knows if many 
persons now insane are not actually 
“possessed of devils,” or in other words, 
influenced by evil ghosts whom they can 
see and hear ? 

Then on the other hand if we class all 
the persons who see and hear ghosts 
to-day among the deranged, simply be- 
cause we know that the insane claim 


1 86 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

to see and hear ghosts, what is to be 
thought of all those supermundane por- 
tions of the Bible, the Koran, the Tal- 
mud, the ancient writings of the Chinese, 
and the sacred books of India? Were 
the accounts of ghosts, angels and devils 
that are to be found in each and all of 
them written by insane men ? Or did 
the writers tell the truth in narrating the 
actual experiences of sane men ? Some 
men believe the latter, and that so far as 
those ancient writers could convey ac- 
counts of what they saw and heard they 
chronicled the truth. It has been proven 
tliat as vital magnetism escapes from the 
persons of some individuals in such quan- 
tities as to render contact between them — 
and other persons who may be present 
— and the ghosts possible, that so does 
the same kind of vital magnetism also 
escape from some ghosts, and that that 
is why such ghosts can and do come 
amongst mankind on earth, and perhaps 


AFTERWARD. 18/ 

occasionally commit murder and other 
crimes that are charged to men. 

It is a fallacy to believe that ghosts 
are ever ethereal, because they appear so 
to the eyes of men. No, they are just 
as substantial always in reality as we are, 
and can come in contact with our world 
and us, with the greatest ease when com- 
pared with the great difficulty we often 
have in coming in contact with them. 
It has also been proven that men appear 
to be ethereal or transparent when they 
are seen by ghosts, and yet we know we 
are material and in every sense substantial 
beings. Yes, the evil ghosts of evil men 
still haunt mankind as they did in the days 
of Jesus and his disciples, and who can 
tell how many depraved lives, atrocious 
murders, disastrous fires, and other awful 
calamities are due to the influence de- 
moniacal ghosts have over their human 
victirns. The ghosts of the good and 
pure rarely come to visit the friends and 
loved ones they have left behind, because 


1 88 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

their doing so would but contaminate 
them without benefiting us, except in 
exceptional instances, when they have 
been known to return and perform what 
are called miracles by the Roman 
Catholics. 

It is what is sometimes called the 
astral body of a man that becomes a 
ghost in the other world after it has been 
released from this world by death, and it 
is this astral body that gives form to the 
earthly body and all its members, hands, 
arms, legs, feet, and all the rest. This 
fact any person can ascertain for himself 
by simply asking a man who has lost a 
limb or any portion of one, if he ever 
feels the actual presence of the severed 
part. He will answer, '‘Yes, I do some- 
times ; ” and the reason is obvious. The 
astral or ghostly member is still there, 
and under certain vital magnetic condi- 
tions its actual presence is manifest. The 
medical theory about memory and the 
ends of the irritated nerves is a mistake ; 


AFTERWARD. 


189 

although the fact of the ends of the 
nerves in the stump of the severed mem- 
ber being inflamed in some cases, may 
cause the elimination of sufficient vital 
magnetism from the body of the sufferer 
to cause the presence of the astral or 
ghostly portion to be felt, as if again 
there in its earthly form. However, irri- 
tation of the ends of the severed nerves 
is not always present when the presence 
of the amputated limb is most apparent. 

While the Rev. David Williams, Pratt, 
and the two women were gazing as if 
petrified upon that ghastly crimson arm 
and hand holding the carving knife with 
blood upon its blade, the knife dropped 
upon the floor where it stuck, its point 
being imbedded fully half an inch, and 
then the hand and arm seemingly melted 
into the air and were no longer to be 
seen. The horror of the sight had sunk 
into their very souls and all stood speech- 
less, as with beating hearts they won- 
dered what next would follow, but that 


1 90 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

was all that came from the door and 
they had waited in eager expectation for 
some time in vain, when the clergyman 
broke the silence by remarking, “ I never 
could have believed such things could be 
if I had not in the broad light of day, 
seen, heard, and felt them.” 

“ Nor I,” said Pratt. 

But Sarah and Mrs. Smith still stood 
in silence. 

“ Let us sit down,” said Pratt, and act- 
ing on his suggestion all took their places 
before the fireplace, and wondered what 
it all could mean and what would be the 
end of such mysterious and weirdly in- 
comprehensible occurrences of a super- 
mundane origin, while the sun was shin- 
ing, and the earth was mantled in her 
robe of spotless snow. Presently the 
cold breeze that all had felt before came 
sweeping through the heated room, and 
then each in turn felt the touch of icy 
hands, and shivered as they felt them. 
The long gray hair of the minister 


AFTERWARD. 


I9I 

seemed blown by the strange breeze, for 
it moved about upon his shoulders, while 
his large, dark eyes looked earnestly at 
Pratt, Sarah and Mrs. Smith, who re- 
turned his inquiring looks in silence. 
All were too utterly astounded to move, 
much less to speak, for the mysterious 
breeze still blew around their forms and 
their flesh still crawled, touched by those 
icy hands that were so plainly to be felt, 
but were not to be seen. 

A few moments more and the cold 
breeze had ceased to blow, the icy hands 
were felt no more. Then a stillness fell 
upon them all, and a hoarse voice spoke 
slowly, within the atmosphere of the 
room,«and said: “All be here to-night 
at ten o’clock ; bring Dr. Bolton, and 
have pen, ink and paper, to write down 
all I say. Farewell.” 

The clergyman arose, and while the 
others sat where they were and looked at 
him in mute amazement, as if trying to 
guess the thoughts that were passing in 


192 THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

his mind, he went over to the pantry, and 
stooping pulled the knife up out of the 
floor where it still stuck, as if it had been 
thrown there by a juggler. After exam- 
ining the knife he opened the pantry 
door and looked in, when Pratt joined 
him, and while they looked, the two 
women came timidly forward and stood 
behind them. Nothing had been dis- 
turbed upon the shelves except the knife, 
which had been taken by the ghost from 
the box where it was now replaced. 
Although it had appeared as if bathed in 
blood, not a vestige of any substance was 
now to be seen upon its blade. Even 
Isaac Pratt seemed awed at what had 
just transpired, but at last found moral 
courage to ask his minister for his 
opinion. 

“ Mr. Pratt,” replied the clergyman, 
“ I have an opinion about the affair : we 
all have seen and heard something won- 
derful. I was taught that the gates of 
both heaven and hell were shut against 


AFTERWARD. 


193 


the dead, and had been shut for more than 
eighteen hundred years ; now I do not 
know what to believe about it, what to 
think even. I must believe what I have 
seen and heard, — certainly, we cannot all 
be mad. What we have seen convinces 
me that what we have been taught about 
the gates is either false or else that Satan 
has the power to mystify our minds, to 
shake our faith in Christ.” 


13 


CHAPTER XVIL 


THAT NIGHT. 

Isaac Pratt drove Rev. David Wil- 
liams home in time for dinner at the 
parsonage, and then returned to the farm 
in the sleigh, and went to his own home. 
After dining, the clergyman called on 
Dr. Bolton and had a long conversation 
with him about the wonders he had seen. 
The doctor agreed to go to Mrs. Smith’s 
that night about mine o’clock, and pro- 
posed a visit to Father Kelley, the popu- 
lar Roman Catholic priest of Lynn, who 
was a friend and patient of his, although 
the doctor was not himself a Catholic. 

The clergyman was not inclined at 
first to call with the doctor on the priest, 
but finally agreed to go. And so they 
started in Dr. Bolton’s sleigh, finally 
194 


THAT NIGHT. 


195 


arriving at Father Kelley’s, who was at 
home and received them in a most cor- 
dial manner. 

Strange as it may seem to some Chris- 
tians, although both had long been resi- 
dents of Lynn, this Catholic priest and 
Presbyterian minister had never been 
introduced to each other before, nor had 
they ever even recognized each other 
anywhere, although each knew perfectly 
well who the other was, and they had 
met time and again face to face upon 
the street. Rev. David Williams had 
never gone to mass or vespers, and Father 
Kelley had never been inside of the 
Presbyterian Church. This being the 
case neither knew anything of the other’s 
church doctrines except what they had 
gathered in a casual way from reading 
fragmentary accounts in the news- 
papers. 

“ Father Kelley,” said the minister, 
adopting the usual form used by the 
Catholics when addressing their pastor. 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


“ I have called with our mutual friend 
the doctor to ascertain your opinion as a 
clergyman concerning what are known as 
the supermundane knockings made by 
ghosts of The dead.” 

As Father Kelley sat there looking 
the perfect picture of a fat, well-fed man 
on the best possible terms with himself 
and all the world, his red face grew a 
trifle redder and his little bright blue 
eyes gave a merry twinkle as he affec- 
tionately stroked his knees and replied, 
“ My dear sir, I have no opinion on the 
subject. Our mother church teaches her 
children that it is treading on dangerous 
ground to meddle with such matters. 
As far as I am concerned I obey the 
church, and have never known the souls 
of any of my parishioners to return to 
the scenes of their lives.” 

“ That’s easily understood, you rascal,” 
said Dr. Bolton ; “ how can they come 
back as long as you are well paid to 
pray for their repose?” 


THAT NIGHT. 


197 


The priest laughed heartily and so did 
the doctor, but the clergyman’s face 
grew longer than ever as he changed the 
subject. He was surprised at the great 
familiarity between the doctor and the 
priest, not knowing that many a time 
they were together at night telling 
funny stories and drinking their toddy 
after a social game of cards. And where 
was the harm, thought both. After 
some further conversation, on the cold 
weather, and probable result of the war 
with the South, Rev. David Williams 
and his friend Dr. Bolton left the priest’s 
house. 

“ Ah ! Doctor,” said the clergyman to 
his friend, when they had taken their 
seats again in the sleigh, “ I fear the 
Catholics either do not know or do not 
care much about ghosts.” 

The doctor laughed in his usual scep- 
tical way as he replied, Well, I suppose 
they know about as much as anybody 
can on a subject that there is nothing 


igS THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 

to know about. Of course it’s all very 
well for you preachers of all denomina- 
tions to talk about saints and the devil to 
your congregations, and scare them almost 
to death about your ever burning hell, — 
that’s the way you all make your livings, 
but if you clergymen had dissected as 
many dead men as we doctors have to in 
order to learn our profession, you would 
let the old women tell all the ghost 
stories.” And so these two friends 
talked on while they drove through the 
streets of Lynn toward the parsonage, 
and the doctor’s patients and the mem- 
bers of the clergyman’s congregation 
bowed as they passed them in the sleigh. 

The ancient farm-house of the Smiths 
was draped in the gloom of a starless 
winter night. The moon that had for 
more than an hundred years thrown her 
silver gleams upon that time-worn roof, 
where many generations had been born, 
and lived, and died, was nowhere to be 
seen. All was nearly as black as pitch, 


THAT NIGHT. 


199 


the house, the branches of the ancient 
leafless elms, the old stone walls, the 
fences that were well repaired were now 
so well-nigh covered by the drifting snow 
as to be almost obliterated from the sight 
of the doctor and the clergyman, when 
they arrived at where they guessed the 
front gate ought to be, guided only as 
they were by the candle light in the 
kitchen window. The doctor stopped the 
sleigh and called. In a moment Mason 
came out with a lantern and showed them 
the gate. They were twenty feet away, 
instead of where they should have been, 
and thought they were. So much for 
guessing in the darkness of a winter’s 
night in the country while a heavy snow 
is falling, and no moon or stars shed their 
cheerful rays. 

They went Into the old kitchen and 
Dr. Bolton entered Into conversation 
with Sarah and Mrs. Smith, for he was 
always a favorite with women, while the 
clergyman sat apart and talked to Isaac 


200 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


Pratt. Charles Mason, the boy, had 
come into the room after attending to 
the doctor’s horse in the barn, for he had 
been told to put him in a stall, as he 
might not be wanted for hours ; and 
was now seated on a low stool while all 
except the doctor conversed in low and 
melancholy tones, almost subdued to 
whispers, for they dreaded what was to 
come. 

The fire burned cheerily in the fire- 
place, and ever and anon sent forth 
showers of sparks, as the logs crumbled 
beneath the eager flames. Presently the 
old chiming clock struck half-past nine, 
startling the watching, waiting group of 
expectant souls, who realized the hour 
had almost come when they should hear 
those hoarse and awe-inspiring tones 
within the atmosphere, that came from 
the ghostly voice of one who once had 
lived upon the earth, a man. The pen. 
ink and paper were there upon the 
kitchen table, so that the record could be 


THAT NIGHT. 


201 


kept of all the ghostly voice might say. 
The time passed on until the clock struck 
ten, and the doctor had just remarked 
that no ghost would come while he was 
present, when that dreadful cold breeze 
was felt throughout the room, making 
the candles on the table flicker and their 
flames sink low. Presently the ghostly 
hands were felt by all, the doctor too, to 
whom the hands gave several heavy 
slaps. He was amazed, so much amazed 
that he was as the rest had been, awed 
into silence. 

All were now seated near the fireplace, 
and while the storm beat against the 
door, and the March winds whistled 
through the elms, a hand and arm 
came from the pantry as before, both 
white and life-like. The hand beckoned, 
and the doctor taking up a candle went 
toward the pantry, and while he and the 
others looked at the hand and wondered, 
the pantry door burst open and out 
walked a tall and much emaciated form. 


202 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


in weather beaten garments, that looked 
as if they might have been a soldiers. 
Its face was pale, its long, light hair and 
beard seemed wet, for both hung down 
in matted masses from its head and face, 
and as the light of the candle in the doc- 
tor’s hand fell on that weird, pale face, it 
smiled a sad and lonely smile, and then 
was heard a deep and awful sigh. They 
looked into its eyes, and they returned 
their curious gaze without a wink or move- 
ment of the lids. It was indeed an awe- 
some sight, for all could see quite plainly 
through the ghostly form the burning 
logs upon the hearth, as if a living man 
by some strange power had been made 
transparent, and now was standing there 
between them and the ancient fireplace. 
The cold breeze in the room had 
gone, no one had felt the icy hands since 
the arm came from the pantry door, and 
now, while all looked on in silence, the 
ghostly form walked slowly to the tabic 
and sat upon a chair, then leaned its 


THAT NIGHT. 


203 


head upon its hand, and in those hoarse 
and dismal tones that had been heard 
before, it asked : 

“Does no one know me here? You 
all can see and hear me now ! I am the 
ghost of him they called Sam Smith, the 
butcher.” All started but no one dared to 
speak. “ And my name is still the same. 
I’ve wandered for weeks about my for- 
mer home unseen. I’ve called in tones 
so loud I thought they could be heard 
for miles, but no one heard me. I’ve 
stood, and sat, and walked about the 
house by day and night, but no one saw 
me. Then I realized that I could not 
be seen or heard or even felt by those on 
earth still living there as men, for I, who 
once was mortal man, am now but an 
immortal ghost. One night I found I 
had the power at times to make men hear 
vibrations, and so I knocked upon the 
door. You heard me, Hannah, but could 
only hear me knock, and could not see 
me ; then afterward my power increased 


204 the curse of marriage. 

and I could touch you all. At length I 
found that I could show my hand and 
arm by standing in the pantry, but no one 
seemed to recognize my hand, and then I 
showed it crimson, with a knife in token 
of my trade, and yet I was unknown to 
all. At last I found I had the power to 
speak so all could hear me, and now I 
can sit here, am heard and seen, and wish 
before I join the ghosts again, to have 
you. Doctor, write down all I say.” 

The doctor moved to the opposite side 
of the table and placing both of the can- 
dles so their rays would fall upon the 
writing-paper without being in any one’s 
way or interfering in any way with the 
line of vision of the others, he took up 
the pen, dipped it in the ink, and waited 
for the ghost to speak again. All the 
others drew near in breathless silence, 
and while they looked they listened most 
intently. And presently the ghost began 
his fearful tale. 

“ I was not killed in battle as all 


THAT NIGHT. 


205 


thought, but I was captured and died on 
earth as man one week ago, of sheer 
starvation in a rebel prison pen, where 
thousands died before, and still are dying 
by the thousand. As soon as I became 
a ghost, I came back home, and have 
been here since then unseen. I now 
know all that happened here while I was 
at the war, and know that I shall never 
rest or cease to wander on the earth till 
I have told the truth about a fearful 
crime. One day I bought a flock of 
sheep, when Hannah first became my 
wife. There was a -little black lamb 
among them whose mother I had killed 
one morning by mistake. My wife took 
pity on that lamb and raised it in the 
house. When it had grown to be a few 
months old, I became jealous of the love 
and care that she bestowed upon it, and 
so I snatched it from her arms one day 
while I was drunk, and in my anger ran 
with it to the slaughter house, where she 
followed me with shrieks and supplications 


2o6 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


to but spare its life. I dashed her to one 
side, then laid it on the block, and with a 
cleaver cut off its head ; then dipping my 
hands in its fresh young blood, I smeared 
that hot blood on her face, and laughed, 
and laughed as she tried to wipe it from 
her eyes and spit it from her mouth. 
Remember, I was mad with drink and 
jealousy. 

“Soon after this, her child, our son, our 
little darling John, was born, and now I 
know that he was marked with murder. 
John it was who murdered Ida, Cora, and 
Harry in Chelses^ Woods, threw their 
bodies down the bank into the marsh, 
and then hid Peter’s knife in that hollow 
oak. He then slid down the bank and 
washed his little bloody hands in a pool 
of stagnant water upon the marsh, and 
after drying them upon the grass, climbed 
up the bank again and ran through the 
woods until he found a lonely spot, where 
he lay down and slept awhile. When he 
awoke, he started on his walk along the 


THAT NIGHT. 


207 


road to Lynn, and had stopped to rest 
upon a stone when he was found. It 
was most fortunate for him no blood was 
shed upon his clothes to tell the tale. 
John picked up the knife in the grass 
where Mason lost it, and lied about the 
children having gone with a black man. 
Yes, Peter, our faithful Peter, was inno- 
cent. Before John blew his wretched 
head off in Isaac Pratt’s house, — for his 
murderous nature turned upon itself, — he 
wrote a letter to his mother and hid it in 
our ancient Bible ; you will find it there. 
I now can cease to wander on the earth, 
and rest forever in. the world of ghosts, 
where all shall meet at last. Try to for- 
give me, Hannah, for the wrongs and 
cruel treatment with which I repaid 
your love.” And while he was speaking 
these last words, his voice grew weak, 
and then his ghostly form grew dim, and 
just as he had said Farewell,” the ghost 
of Sam Smith, the butcher, apparently 


2o8 the curse of marriage. 

melted into the atmosphere before the 
eyes of all, and he was gone. 

No, the two women did not faint, they 
did not scream nor writhe in dread convul- 
sions on the floor, but leaned upon the 
table with heads buried in their handS, 
and wept as they had never wept before. 
And the tears shed by that weeping, suf- 
fering mother came from her very soul. 

The doctor looked at the clergyman, 
and Isaac Pratt looked at them both. 
Then, as if he knew their thoughts, he 
took a candle from the table, and the 
two men and Charles Mason followed 
him to the parlor where the old an- 
cestral Bible had been kept for more 
than one hundred years. The Rev. 
David Williams opened it by undoing its 
heavy brass clasps, and while Pratt held 
the candle, the clergyman turned the 
pages slowly one by one until he had 
found a new sheet of note paper, on which 
in a schoolboy’s scrawling hand were 


THAT NIGHT. 20g 

traced in pencil these words, which he 
read aloud. 

“ Deer Mama, i mus tel the truth i got 
ida an corra an hary to play sheep an kilt 
them with peaters nife this will be found 
sumday your son John.” 

“Our Heavenly Father!” exclaimed 
the minister as he sat with upturned 
streaming eyes, his aged face the picture 
of despair. “ Can such things be, can 
such things be ? ” 

“ Of course they can,” remarked the 
doctor ; “ does not the Bible say so ? ” 

“The Bible, the Bible say so!” re- 
peated the clergyman. 

“ Yes, you know where it says : ‘ Vis- 
iting the iniquity of the fathers upon the 
children.’ ” 

And then that aged man with eyes 
still wet with tears, turned to the chapter 
and read the whole verse aloud to Pratt, 
Mason and Dr. Bolton. 

When he had finished he went into the 
kitchen with John’s last letter in his hand, 

" 14 


210 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE., 


followed by the other two. He gazed 
upon that weeping mother and her weep- 
ing friend, whose heads were still buried 
in their hands upon the table, and then 
he hesitated. The doctor took the letter 
gently from him, walked slowly to the 
open fireplace, lit it, let it burn and then 
let fall its ashes to mingle with the ashes 
of the crackling logs. And it was better 
so. 'Twas after midnight when those 
two returned to Lynn. 


CHAPTER XVIII. 


CONCLUSION. 

Dr. Bolton, notwithstanding his pre- 
vious scepticism, was for the balance of 
his days a firm believer in a life hereafter 
and the truth of the positive return of 
ghosts to this world. He always kept 
the written confession of the ghost of 
Sam Smith, and took pleasure in further 
investigating the supermundane, but 
never was so fortunate as to meet an- 
other inhabitant of that other world, the 
land of ghosts. He finally concluded 
that the ghost of Sam Smith belonged to 
that class of ghosts having sufficient vital 
magnetism emanating from their own 
forms to enable them to come in contact 
with mankind, and that consequently the 
fact of his ghostly visit to the old home- 


21 I 


212 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


Stead of his earthly ancestors, was not in 
the slightest degree due to Mrs. Hannah 
Smith, Sarah Watson, or any other per- 
son present losing vital magnetism in 
sufficient quantities to render the visible 
return of a ghost possible. 

A few days after the weird experience 
in the old farm-house there was a dinner 
given at Mr. Reynolds’ villa to a few 
friends, among whom was Mr. Hand, 
Rev. David Williams and Dr. Bolton. 
When the ladies had retired from the 
table, the gentlemen lighted their cigars 
as usual, and after some general conver- 
sation about the war and politics, the 
clergyman and doctor had a little private 
chat. When they had finished, they 
called Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Hand to 
them and stated they desired a private 
interview that evening if possible. 

“ Certainly,” replied both gentlemen. 
And so that evening until far into the 
night those four men sat in Mr. Rey- 
nolds’ library, and the two fathers heard a 


CONCLUSION. 


213 


true story fully corroborated by witnesses 
and positive facts, that struck terror to 
their souls. It was then they learned for 
the first time that the ante-natal effects 
of murder, intemperance, and vice of all 
kinds is far more fearful and more fre- 
quent than mankind has ever even 
dreamed, also, that the ghosts of persons 
thus marked with vice are in nearly all 
instances as evil as ghosts as they were 
as men. How terrible is the retributive 
justice of Nature ! When Dr. Bolton had 
finished reading the horrible confession of 
Sam Smith, the Rev. David Williams 
pointed out several verses in the Bible, — 
besides the one he had read on that 
never-to-be-forgotten night, — which show 
plainly that since the Christian world has 
had a record such things have been, and 
shall ever be, until the parents of the 
future learn how to control the myste- 
rious powers of life so that their innocent 
little . children may no longer suffer from 
the Curse of Marriage, which may, how- 


214 the curse of marriage. 

ever, be turned into a blessing, for the 
wonderful natural law governing such 
matters is but a rule that will work both 
ways. 

In 1864, Mr. Isaac Pratt, widower, 
married Mrs. Hannah Smith, widow, 
who was eventually cured of the mor- 
phine habit. They had known each 
other many years and it was well that 
they should unite the adjoining farms. 

Sarah Watson removed to Boston after 
her “baby’s” marriage, and borrowed 
$1000 from her to open a lodging house 
at the “South End,” but did not make it 
a paying investment. Her old husband, 
Moses Watson, had died of pneumonia 
soon after the hanging of innocent Peter, 
and somehow bad luck seemed to follow 
his widow. She was sold out by the 
sheriff, finally took to drink, was arrested 
on the street, and fined, and a short time 
afterward ended her life in a cheaply fur- 
nished room in a low lodging house, by 
taking pans green. Poor Sarah ! Her 


CONCLUSION. 


215 


marriage was a mistake. Her life was a 
failure. 

The unfortunate Mrs. Hand never fully 
recovered the use of her shattered nerves, 
but in the course of time her conversa- 
tion could be better understood, and she 
became as devoutly religious as did her 
daughters Flora and Clara. 

Poor Mrs. Reynolds died in the 
insane asylum, and her beautiful sister 
Anna devoted herself to the two boys, 
Thomas and Charles, and to deeds 
of charity, while she waited in patience 
for the return of her beloved George, 
whose letters from the front were some 
little consolation for his absence. 

Mr. Hand continued to prosper and 
so did Mr. Reynolds, who never married 
again. The Rev. David Williams died 
a peaceful death in December, 1864, 
and long before his departure from this 
world was fully convinced that the gates 
of heaven and hell are still open, so that 


2i6 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


the ghosts of the good and of the evil 
may sometimes return to earth. 

The month of April must ever stand 
as the most momentous month of the 
years of the great civil war, in which more 
than a million men fell upon our battle- 
fields, giving life for liberty and the 
preservation of the Union. In that 
month the war commenced, and in that 
month it ended. Four years of fratri- 
cidal strife had dyed the earth with the 
blood of the Northern and the Southern 
sections, and when Grant said Let us 
have peace,” the sentence echoed 
throughout our land as a prayer to the 
God of battles, delivered by a suffering 
nation. 

At last peace spread her wings in 
answer to that prayer, and in 1865, 
those men who were' soldiers in the 
field became once more the private 
citizens of a great republic. 

When the victorious troops came 
home, among them was George Parker, 


CONCLUSION. 


217 


who had passed through many battles 
without a single scar. He had risen to 
the rank of captain, and as he rode into 
the town of Lynn, having brought his 
bay charger on the cars from Washing- 
ton, he was indeed, in his smoke stained 
uniform, the picture of a valiant warrior, 
of whose love any woman might have 
been proud. He first called on his 
beloved parents and then on his beloved 
Anna,* who clad in her favorite white 
dress, ran out to meet him at the gate, 
where she threw her arms about his 
neck and kissed him before a multitude 
of friends. And when they had entered 
the parlor where the dressing of the 
Christmas tree had been the means of 
letting each know the others heart, they 
sat down on the same sofa where nearly 
two years ago they had first told their 
love, and again he took her hand in his, 
again her loving arms were clasped 
about his neck, while his once more held 
her, and while her bosom pressed against 


2I8 


THE CURSE OF MARRIAGE. 


his valiant heart, they told again the tale 
that shall be told by'' youth and love for- 
ever and forever. And the tears of joy 
that came to Anna’s eyes were kissed 
away. 

One -month after the return of Cap- 
tain Parker to Lynn the following notice 
appeared in the Boston papers : 

Parker — Harland — At the residence of the bride’s 
brother-in-law, James Reynolds, Esq., of I.ynn, Mass., on 
June 30th, 1865, by Rev. T. C. Fox, Captain George Parker, 
U. S. A., to Anna, only child of the late Silas and Mary ilar- 
land. 


THE END. 


Of Incalculable Value In Discovering Heirs to Property. 

HISTORY OF THE HUBBELL FAMILY, 

By WALTER HUBBELL. 

Author of “Tho Curse of Marriage,” ^‘.The Great Amherst Mystery,” etc., etc. 

This elegant work, in one volume, bound in cloth (sise, 7 x 10), is printed 
on heavy tinted paper, consists of 479 pages, and contains 29 engravings. 

The 132 biographical sketches of Hubbells are very complete, and oontaia 
Deeds, Wills, Inventories, Distributions of Estates, Military Commissions, 
Obituaries, and much ancient historical information relating to the family and 
name never before in print, and not to be obtained from any other source.. 

The work also contains poems, coats of arms, church records, a genea* 
logical record often generations, embracing the names of '4,569 descendants, and 
covering a period oi 235 years in America ; also genealogical accounts oi the 
following family names, viz. ; Hubbell, Elower, G-raham, Burr, Lyon, Wilson, 
Bamillie, Baldey, Man and Curtiss. 

Among the names in the female line of descent the following occur in the 

g enealogical record, and in most instances are traced for several generations, 
lua making the work of great value to genealogical students, biographical and 
genealogicaT societies, libraries, attorneys, and aU families bearing these names ; 

Alby, Allen, Ambler, Arb, Armstrong, Austin, Bailey, Baldev, Baldwin, 
Banks, Barnard, Barnes, Bamum, Barr, Barue, Bassett, Bates, Beardsley, Beers, 
Benton, Billings, Birch, Birdseye, Blackman, Booge, Booth, Bottsford, Bradley, 
Braman, Briggs, Brisco, Bronson, Brooks, Buck, Bulkley, Bull, Bump, Burbank, 
Burke, Burr, Borwell, Bui-ritt, Butler, Camp, Canfield, Carrin^on, Castle, 
Champlin, Chapin, Cherry, ChilL Clark, Cogswell, Coleman, Confcling, Coon, 
Corbusier, Corning, Crampton, Crane, Crosby, Culp, Culver, Cummin, Cum- 
mings, Cure, Curtin, Curtis, Curtiss, Danks, Darbe, Davis, Dayton, Deming, 
Dennis, Dewey, Dorwim Downes, Dunning, Durana, Dye, Edwards, Elmer, 
Elwood, Farrow, Ford, Fowler, French, Frost, Fullerton, Gano, Gebbie, Gibson, 
Gladden, Gleason, Godfr^, Goodman, Gorham, Green, Greenberger, Greene, 
Griffin, Grlnnell, Hall, Hallock, Hannah, Hard, Hai’ding, Harris, Harvey, 
Hawl^, Hayden, Henry, HickSjHill, Hills, Hodge, Hoffinan, Hopkins, Hotch- 
kiss, Hull, Hultz, Huntington, Hurd, Hurlbert, Isherwood, Jarvis, Johnson, 
Jones, Judson, Keeler, Keith, Kellogg, Kelly, Ketham, Kilby, Kincaid, Knapp, 
Lampson, Lane, Langhead, Lawton, Lee, Leffingwell, Lewis, Lincoln, Lockwood, 
Loi^otham, Lynes, Lyon, Mackey Mallett, Man, Marsh, Martin, Maul, 
McCammon, McEowen, McKeen, MoKelway, McMurahy, Mead, Meeker, Mills, 
Moore, Morehouse, Morris, Mygatt, Nash, Nelson, Newell, Nichols, Nickerson, 
Northrop, Oakley, Odell, Olcott, Osborn, Osborne, Palmev Barrack, Patterson, 
Peck, Percy, Percune, Perry, Phillips, Pierce, Pond, Poole, Porter, Potts, Preston, 
Ransom, Rathbun, Read, Reed, Richey, Riohtmyer, Robertson, Robinson, Rolston, 
Rounds, Ruifner, Ruggles, Russell, Seaberry, Seeley, Selby, Seymour, Schenok, 
Scott, Shelton, Sherman. Sherwood, Shults, Simpkinson, Slosson, Smith, Spalding, 
Spra^e, Squire, Starr, Stevens, Stoy, Stuart, Talman, Taylor, Teator, Templin, 
l^rry, Thatcher, Thompson, Thorpe, Thurber, Tomlinson, Tompkins, Toucey, 
Tracey, Treat, Tucker, ^ler, Tyrrel, Vand^ool, Vanderspiegel, Vanderveer, 
Vickers, Wait, Waller, Wakelee, Wakeman, Ward, Warren, Waterman, Webb, 
Welch, Wellman, WeUs, Wetmore, Wheeler, Whitney, Whittemore, Wildman, 
Willett, Williams, Wilson, Wood, Woolsey, Worden, Wright, Yale, and Zeigler. 

As only a few copies of the edition of this valuable work remain unsold, 
we advise all persons interested to send their orders at once. No extra edition 
will be issued. ^ 

Price, $6.00 per copy ; sent post-paid on receipt of price, or collect on 
delivery by express, to any part of the United States. Address — 

J. H. HUBBELL & CO., Publishers, 293 Broadway, N. Y.City. 


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